Song of the Dead
by Muffcakeloverxiii
Summary: AU No one ever said being the new kid in school was easy. Naminé learns that the hard way when she, along with her new friend Zexion, agrees to help Riku, the ghost of a deceased student, bring his murderer to justice. Eventual ZekuXNamiXRiku and more. Warning: future character deaths.
1. Chapter 1

Hey, guys! This is the touched up version of chapter 1. To be honest I went back and read over chapters 1 through 5 and I decided that they needed redone. This one is the one that got revamped the most, and really it's not much different than the original, but I would suggest reading it because it goes more into depth on things and I also fixed up some grammatical errors. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

The cover art was done by a totally awesome friend of mine!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story.

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><p>It was a warm Saturday evening in late August on Destiny Island. I was sitting out at the far end of the mainland's dock, my thin legs kicking involuntarily as they dangled over the edge. My sketchbook sat in my lap as I tried to capture the beautiful setting sun within its pages. My box of pastels and bag were at my side. Brushing a stray strand of my light blonde hair out of my baby blue eyes, I took in the horizon once more. With a pastel—an orange one—in my pale hand, I added more bright streaks of color to the once white page, being careful not to ruin my white sundress.<p>

And my work was almost done. The page was vibrant with many bright and beautiful colors. It just needed one more splash of pink.

As I reached for the desired pastel, I heard of "Mousou Sketch" by Miku Hatsune, my ringtone. I reached into my bag and pulled out my small white phone that had a full QWERTY keyboard. I looked at the caller ID. It was my older brother, Demyx Strife.

Demyx used to be the sitar-playing band teacher at Destiny Island High, and everyone he had ever taught said he could only be described in two words. Extremely crazy. That was part of the reason why all of his students had liked him. He had made class fun.

Unfortunately, a few months back he had lost his job as band teacher because of the condition some of the band students had left the school in after the band's annual lock-in. The band students had begged and pleaded with the principal and superintendent to give Demyx back his job, saying they would take full responsibility for their actions. But they wouldn't hear it, and refused to give Demyx his job back, completely forgetting that he was single and the legal guardian of a dependent. Me.

Trying to make ends meet with putting food on the table and paying the rent for our home, Demyx had gotten a job working at the aquarium downtown. He was trying his hardest to look for work, but he was not having much luck. How he still managed to stay the same happy-go-lucky guy that was my dear brother baffled me to no end.

With a sad smile, I answered my phone. "Hey, Dem. What's up?" I asked.

"Dinner's ready, Nami! Hurry home before I decide to eat it all without you," he said in a teasing tone.

"Okay. I'll be right there," I said. I hung up and looked down at my rendition of the sunset. _Guess I'll have to finish my sunset later_, I thought as I packed up and left the dock.

Destiny Island was a resort town and wasn't actually on an island. It was simply given the name to attract vacationers, which were never in short supply during the on-season. Most citizens ran or worked for businesses around town, and business was always booming during the summer and on holidays. And while vacationers stayed at hotels in downtown, citizens, like Demyx and me, lived in homes near the beach.

My house was like many of the other residential homes (in fact, if you were new in town you were more than likely to get lost). It was a white two-story house with a brown shingled roof. It had a small garage, which housed my brother's blue van. The furniture and amenities in the house didn't belong to us; they were included as part of our rent. And that was about it. It was nothing special, really.

I reached my front door and went inside. As I walked into the small living room I was met by a delicious aroma coming from the kitchen. It smelled like an alfredo sauce, which when coupled with pasta became one of my favorites.

_Okay_, I thought, _something is up_. Now, Demyx was a really good cook and all, but something was terribly off. He usually saved making my favorites for times when he had bad news to tell me and thought that maybe if he told me while I was eating something I liked, I'd have an easier time taking the news (it never worked, but I was not about to tell Demyx that, because I knew he meant well and was just trying to be a good brother). Like the day he had gotten fired.

Or like the day when Mom and Dad had passed on a few years ago.

That day had been just like any other. I had been in middle school at the time. I had gotten home around seven in the evening after hanging out at the movies with my friends—Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka. I had walked into the kitchen and there Demyx was. He had worn the most woeful expression I had ever seen on his face. His eyes had been red and puffy and he'd kept sniffling. And there on the table had been one of my favorite dishes. We had been midway through dinner when he broke the news to me. Our parents, Cloud and Aerith, had been killed in a car accident on their way home from visiting some old friends of theirs. Our lives have not been the same since.

Preparing myself for the worst, I walked through the living room and peered into the kitchen. I was surprised, much to my relief, to find Demyx smiling almost idiotically as he finished pouring fettuccine alfredo onto our plates. He was even dancing (which, considering how idiotically he dances around the house normally, really was not all that unusual for him)! He turned to me and immediately his smile grew tenfold.

"Hey, Nami!" he shouted as he sat down at the table.

"Hey, Dem," I said as I set my bag on one of the posts of my chair and took my seat across the table from him. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

"I have awesome news!"

"Well, let's hear it," I said and put a forkful of food into my mouth.

"I…" he said with a pause for dramatic effect, "got a new teaching job!"

"That's great, Dem!" Of course it was great. It was beyond great! My brother had a new job. He could go back to doing what he loved most, conducting and teaching a band of high school kids. I couldn't have been happier for him.

"However…" Demyx trailed off, his smile fading a little.

"What?"

"Well, you are probably not going to like this next part, Naminé," he said.

"What is it?" I asked. It was not like Demyx to try and keep things from me. He usually just came right out with whatever he had to say. Why was he holding back?

Wait…he said he got a new teaching job. But Destiny Island High was the only high school around these parts. And I highly doubted the school district would hire him again. That meant…

"Nami," Demyx said, "we're moving."

At that moment, I completely stopped everything I was doing—eating, blinking, breathing (well, I almost did). My eyes had grown to the size of the plate in front of me as I gaped at him.

Moving? But I didn't want to. My life was here. My friends were here (and I had very few being the not-so-social butterfly that I was). The start of my junior year of high school was only a few days away. And we had to move?

"Where to?" I asked softly.

I was silently pleading that he would say we were moving to Radiant Garden. If we moved anywhere, I wanted it to be there. It was close by, so I could visit my friends here any time. We also had family there. There was my Aunt Elena, my Uncle Tseng and my cousin Xion. They were the relatives we were closest with (both in good terms and geographically). If we would move there I at least would not be completely surrounded by strangers.

_Oh, please say Radiant Garden_, I chanted in my head. _Please say Radiant Garden…_

"Twilight Town," he said.

My heart sank. "Oh…" I said.

Twilight Town was a few hours away from Radiant Garden, and even farther away from Destiny Island. And that place was crawling with ravens! Those stupid birds had scared the living daylights out of me when I was a kid, and, at the age of sixteen, I still hadn't gotten over my fear of them.

Why, of all places, did we have to move there?!

"Now, eat up!" Demyx said with a reassuring smile, and he started to eat.

We sat there in silence as we ate. Well, actually, Demyx was the one eating. After hearing the news, my appetite was completely soiled. I tried to eat, but the once delicious food had lost its taste. So, I settled for playing with my pasta by twirling it around with my fork instead.

"Oh, that reminds me," Demyx said, "when you're done eating, start packing. Twilight Town's new school year starts on Monday and we leave for Great-uncle Ansem's tomorrow morning."

I stopped again. More dreaded words had just spilled out of Demyx's mouth. I put down my fork and stared at him with the most unreadable expression that I could manage.

"Great-uncle Ansem's?" I asked, trying to hide my discontent.

"Yeah, he said that he'd allow us to stay with him as long as I can pay rent for the rooms we'll be using. Isn't that great?"

No. It was far from great. It was terrible! That man was arrogant, grumpy and, for reasons beyond my knowledge, absolutely hated me! He always glared at me and talked down to me like I was lower than dirt. To say that the feeling wasn't mutual would be absurd. He might have been family, but that didn't mean that I liked him in the least.

"I'm not hungry anymore," I said. I was far too upset now to even play with my food.

I got up and grabbed my bag. I stormed out of the kitchen and stomped up the stairs. Demyx called after me, but I was too distraught to even pay attention to what he was trying to say. I strode briskly down the hall to my bedroom and slammed the door shut. I stood there for a moment and stared at the door.

What was I supposed to do? I would have to start all over again from square one. I already had a hard time socializing with people my own age, and that meant making new friends was probably going to be a nightmare.

After a moment I sighed. I thought, _Guess I'll just have to suck it up and face facts._ There was no point in wallowing in self-pity because of my own selfishness. Demyx had a job; I should have been happy for him. I was such an awful sister.

With another sigh, I turned to look around what was still my room for the moment. On the right side of the room there was a closet. Off to the left side of the room was a small desk, upon which sat my laptop, and a wooden chair. In the far left corner was a four-poster twin bed that was covered with my white comforter and had pillows to match. Next to the bed was a nightstand. On the nightstand was a framed picture of Demyx, my parents and I from when they were still around. In the far right corner was a bookcase with five shelves. Four of the five shelves were occupied by various novels and knick-knacks. The last shelf was entirely dedicated to my art supplies. All four of the beige walls had my sketches taped to them. On the wall opposite of the door was a small window that looked out on the coastline. And in the center of the room on the hardwood floor was a pile of cardboard boxes along with a suitcase and a roll of packing tape.

_I guess I should start packing_, I thought to myself.

I went and started loading up the boxes and labeling them with a black marker I had grabbed off my art supply shelf as I went. In one box I put my books and in another my art supplies. I loaded my knick-knacks into one box together. I then unmade my bed and folded my comforter, sheets and pillow cases and placed them in a box. I went to my closet and pulled out my clothes. I folded them and packed them into the suitcase neatly. I left two sets of clothes out. They were a white tank top and blue pair of shorts to sleep in for tonight, and a white t-shirt and a pair of comfy shorts for tomorrow while we were in the van on the way to Twilight Town. I also grabbed a pair of sea-salt ice cream blue flip-flops to wear for tomorrow. I then took another one of the boxes and stuffed the rest of my pairs of shoes into it. My sketches were next and I started to take my sketches off the walls. Once they were all peeled off the walls, I took two folders and carefully slipped them into the pockets on the inside. I grabbed my laptop and put it into my bag along with the folders.

I took a glance around the room. I hardly recognized it with the walls being completely void of my sketches. Without the personal touch that they had added, it didn't feel like my room anymore. Then again, by the next day, it wouldn't be.

It was official. I was packed up and all ready to go. Not that I even wanted to.

Taking a seat on the now bare mattress, I took my sketchbook out of my bag and flipped to the page with my sunset. I took out the pink pastel that I had needed earlier. I made a few streaks with the pastel and it was done. My sunset was complete.

I set my sketchbook down on the bed and walked over to my window and gazed out at the shore. The sun was gone. The blue hour had arrived. I sighed and looked back at the sunset in my sketchbook. That would be my last sunset on Destiny Island.

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><p>Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to review!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Touched up version of chapter 2! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story. The song "Peaches" is by Presidents of the United States.

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><p>I was in the middle of a dreamless sleep when I felt my shoulder being shaken. I opened my eyes sleepily to see Demyx. He was standing over me from where I had fallen asleep wrapped up in my white, fluffy blanket on my bedroom floor last night.<p>

"What?" I asked as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.

"Come on, Nami. We have to load up the van," he said cheerily and walked out of my room.

_Load up the van? What is he…oh, that's right_, I thought as memories from yesterday started coming back to me. _We're moving._

I groaned. Today was going to be a long day.

I forced myself to crawl out of the warmth from within the blanket and folded it up as neatly as I could in my still very much tired state. I groggily sauntered over to where I had left my clothes on the bed. I sluggishly changed into my t-shirt and shorts and slipped on my flip-flops.

I looked at the pile of boxes. With a sigh, I picked one up and headed downstairs. I walked outside to see Demyx placing his own boxes into the van. I set my box down near him and headed back to my room and repeated the process. Get a box, take box outside, set box down in the driveway and repeat.

I climbed back up the stairs to my room one last time to grab my bag and blanket. Slinging my bag over my shoulder and clutching my blanket to my chest tightly, I headed back out to the van. Seeing me walk out, Demyx called me over.

"Need help?" I asked as I walked over.

"Nope," he said with a smile and took my blanket. He hurriedly shoved it into the trunk of the van along with the boxes and shut the trunk with a quick slam. He shot me a cheerful smile. "So, you ready?" he asked.

"I guess," I said with a frown.

He gave me a reassuring smile and ruffled my hair. "Don't worry, Nami. It won't be so bad," he said and headed for the driver's seat.

I sighed. I made my way over to the door on the passenger's side and reached for the door handle.

"Nami!" I heard voices call out to me from behind.

I turned around to see my best friends Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus running toward me. They had been my best and really my only friends for as long as I could remember. Selphie was a cheerleader, and Tidus and Wakka were blitzball players for Destiny Island High. I was surprised that we still managed to maintain our friendship throughout the years, what with them rising up through the ranks in popularity while I remained at the bottom of the social ladder with the rest of the nobodies. But it proved that they were true friends through and through.

Last night, I had called them all up so that we were in a four-way conversation over the phone. When I had told them that I was moving away they were at a loss for words for a moment. Then Selphie started crying and it all went downhill from there. Good-byes and I'll-miss-yous were all that was said for the rest of the conversation. I had hung up, thinking that that would probably be the last I would hear from them, and now here they were, running toward me as fast as their legs could carry them (poor Selphie was having such a hard time keeping up with the two athletes).

"Hey, guys," I said quietly when they reached me. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't go, Nami!" Selphie said as she burst into tears and pulled me into a tight hug.

"I really wish I didn't have to," I said with a frown.

Tidus and Wakka, both fighting back their own tears, walked over to us and hugged me tightly. I started tearing up as well. It touched me to know that they'd miss me so much.

_Honk!_

We all jumped at the sound of the unexpected car horn. I turned to see Demyx waving at me. "I got to go, guys," I said and gave them all a hug.

"Be sure to keep in touch, okay?" Selphie said with a sniffle.

"I will," I said. I got in the van and rolled down the window. Leaning out of it, I waved at them as we drove off. I didn't stop waving until they were out of sight. My hometown went by in a blur and just like that it was left in the dust, far behind us.

_Good-bye Destiny Island_, I thought glumly. Sighing, I turned to look at the strip of road in front of us. _And, Twilight Town, here I come._

I sat back in my seat and rolled up the window as Demyx popped a CD into the CD player. There was an awkward silence as we drove along listening to the music. None of the songs were exactly my cup of tea, but I listened to the strange tunes as I stared out the window at the side of the road. Then, Demyx started singing along to a song as it started playing.

"Movin' to the country,

Gonna eat a lot of peaches

Movin' to the country,

Gonna eat me a lot of peaches

Movin' to the country,

Gonna eat a lot of peaches

Movin' to the country,

Gonna eat a lot of peaches…"

I fell into a depressed funk (like I wasn't in one already). Why did Demyx have to start singing a song about moving?

"Peaches come from a can,

They were put there by a man

In a factory downtown

If I had my little way,

I'd eat peaches every day

Sun-soakin' bulges in the shade

Movin' to the country,

Gonna eat a lot of peaches

Movin' to the country,

Gonna eat a lot of peaches

Movin' to the country,

Gonna eat a lot of peaches

Movin' to the country,

Gonna eat a lot of—"

"Dem."

"Yeah?"

"Please shut up."

He chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry," he said and skipped to the next song.

I continued looking out the window. I watched the scenery go by and, for once in my life, I didn't feel the urge to sketch the landscape like I usually did. Instead, I pulled out my iPod from my bag and slipped my ear buds into my ears, the sounds of my tunes canceling out Demyx's music.

At around twelve o'clock, we stopped to have lunch at a restaurant. It was a quaint place with a friendly atmosphere. We were seated quickly by a cheerful hostess, and Demyx immediately started looking through the menu that had been placed in front of him.

"See anything good?" Demyx asked after a minute.

"Not really," I said. Honestly, I hadn't bothered to look it over because I still wasn't hungry.

"Well, you've got to eat something! You haven't eaten anything since yesterday."

"I know," I said and looked over the menu. "I guess I'll have some toast."

He smiled, happy to see I was at least going to try and eat. "Good," he said.

The waitress came, and Demyx placed my order of toast and his order of a burger and fries. When she left there was silence. Demyx sat there twiddling his fingers. It was a nervous habit of his that signaled when he did not know what to say. He was probably too afraid to say anything to me because he didn't want to risk accidentally making me even more upset. And I knew that he always hated it when he did.

I had to think of something to say to break the silence. But what?

Then, a thought occurred to me. "Hey, Dem. I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"How did you find that job in Twilight Town, anyway?"

"Well, you remember Axel, right?"

How could I not? With his fiery red hair, the upside down teardrop tattoos on his cheeks, and his wild personality, he was one of those people you had a hard time forgetting. He had been Demyx's best friend all through their high school years. And, despite what most people would think after a first impression of him, he had quite the soft spot when it came to the people he cared about most.

He had been there for Demyx and I after our parents had passed on and has been considered a part of our family ever since. The guy was practically like a second big brother to me, and he treated me like the little sister he never had.

Neither Demyx nor I had seen Axel since he left Destiny Island to pursue his dream job. But he and Demyx kept in touch, so Demyx kept me updated on how he was doing…when he remembered to.

"Yeah," I said. "He wanted to be a tattoo artist, right?"

"Yeah, well," he said, "the whole tattoo artist thing didn't really work out all that well, so he decided he wanted to be an art teacher instead."

"So…he's the art teacher at Twilight Town High?" I guessed.

Demyx grinned. "You guessed it! He told me about the job opening they had for a band teacher and I applied the next day. I was hired on the spot. Guess the other teacher's resignation must've pretty sudden and they were just looking for someone to fill the spot quick."

So Axel was going to be my art teacher. The thought made my mood perk up. It made moving seem more bearable than it had before (though it still sucked pretty bad).

The waitress came back with our food and we dug in. Demyx ate his burger, and I wolfed down my toast. It was the best tasting toast I ever had (of course that could just be because I had suddenly regained my appetite and realized how seriously hungry I was).

By the time we were finished, both of our moods seemed to have been lifted a bit. Demyx paid the bill, and we headed back out to the van and were on our way once more. We talked for a long while. No music, just Demyx and I talking about Axel, songs for the halftime shows at the blitzball games this year, the classes I'd be taking, Demyx looking forward to teaching again, and just about anything else we could think of.

"Hey, Nami, guess what," Demyx said suddenly.

"What?" I asked.

"We're in Twilight Town!" he shouted.

We drove down the town's main road and I took the scenery in. The buildings, the streetlights, the sidewalks, the shops—everything was exactly the same as it had been last time we were here for a family reunion. Even the same mysterious yet welcoming atmosphere still hung in the air as it had all those years ago (I haven't been here since Mom and Dad passed on). And the sunset cast a glow on the whole town giving it an almost magical feel.

Demyx then turned onto a familiar, old cobblestone road that led into the woods. The trees stood tall like giants on both sides of the road, their branches stretched out over the road, obscuring the twilight sky above from view. The darkness within the forest engulfed us as we drove on, the van's headlights guiding us through the blackness. There was a small speck of light at the other end. The light kept growing and growing until we reached the end of the tunnel of trees. We drove out into a clearing that I recognized all too well.

Demyx pulled the van up to the wrought iron gate and ivy-covered stone walls. A feeling of dread then came over me. We had arrived at Great-uncle Ansem's mansion. The gates were already open, waiting for us to pass through. I gulped. I _so_ didn't want to be here right now.

Demyx drove up to the massive front doors and put the van in park. I grabbed my bag and got out of the van. I stared up at the mansion nervously. It was just as huge and foreboding as I had remembered it being when I was a child. The mansion, being as old as it was, was starting to decay. The brick exterior looked like it was slowly crumbling away, ivy vines having crawled their way up the walls. The roof was missing a shingle here and there. The shrubs were in serious need of a good trim. One of the large windows on the front side of the second floor was cracked and grimy while the other had a sheer, white curtain drawn over it. The shadows that the mansion cast under the light of the setting sun were large and ominous, as if something were about to slither out of their depths. The whole scene would make for a very creepy-looking sketch.

I looked up to see a single raven perched on the overhang of the entryway. It stared down at me, its black eyes daring me to take another step. I stared back completely frozen, chills running down my spine.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Demyx looking down at me reassuringly. He grabbed my hand and led me to the door. He knocked three times. The door opened and we were met by a man in a black suit. I had never seen him before, but I assumed that he was a newer butler.

The man bowed his head. "The master has been expecting you," he said and stepped aside.

We walked past him into the foyer, our shoes squeaking against the polished linoleum floor. The inside of the mansion was very neat and well-kept compared to the exterior. The chandelier hanging from a long, golden chain filled the large room with light. There were three doors, one to my left, one to my right and another all the way in the back of the room. If I remembered correctly, the dining room was off to the left, the one all the way in the back led to the mansion's enclosed courtyard, and the one on my right went to the entertainment room. Leading up to the second floor were two sets of stairs, one on the left and one on the right, both with very intricately designed banisters.

And there in the center of the room stood the old man himself in all his arrogance. His long blond hair was sleeked back. His short beard was evenly trimmed, as it always had been. He wore a white coat over a white shirt and black slacks. His eyes looked at Demyx with mild interest. Turning his gaze to me, those orange eyes of his narrowed, seemingly scrutinizing every fiber of my being with that piercing gaze of his. Looking away, he spoke. "Welcome," he said, his deep voice echoing through the foyer.

"Hello, Great-uncle Ansem," Demyx said cheerily. I simply nodded, trying not to get even further onto his bad side than I already knew I was. If I did, I knew I would secure for myself a most unpleasant stay.

"You may pick from any of the guest rooms that I have," he said, and gestured up the left staircase to the second floor. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. I'll join you for dinner in an hour." With that he climbed the right staircase and strode down the corridor and out of sight.

"Well, let's go, Nami," Demyx said and practically dragged me up the left staircase.

We walked into the hallway where he had said the guest rooms were. I looked around curiously. Out of all the times I had been here, I had never once gone beyond the stairs. I counted the doors. There were seven, and I was really hoping at least one of them led a bathroom, because as soon as I was done unpacking I was getting a shower.

"Okay, let's split up and look for our rooms," Demyx said and ran down the hall.

I went to the nearest door, which was on my right, and turned the knob, the wooden door creaking as it opened. On the other side of the door frame was a room that didn't exactly suit my tastes. But it certainly matched Demyx's tastes to a tee. The walls were painted a deep ocean blue and the carpet was a color that reminded me of the white sand on the beach back in Destiny Island. There was an oak four poster bed with a bare mattress off in the far right corner. Beside the bed was an end table with a light house statue on it. On the wall opposite of the door was a window just above the bed. On the left side of the room was a door which I guessed was a closet. In the corner, on my right nearest to the door, was a large oak desk with a swivel chair in front of it. I looked up at the ceiling. There were no lights up there, and I didn't see a lamp anywhere around the room. I looked to my left and saw the light switch. I flicked it on and the room flooded with light, which was coming from the light house.

Okay, Demyx _had_ to see this.

"Hey Dem!" I shouted down the hallway.

"Yeah?" Demyx yelled back.

"Come look at this."

He came over to me. "Look at what?"

I pointed at the room. "This."

He looked inside and let out a manly squeal (if a squeal can even be described as manly). "It's perfect! I'm going to go start getting the stuff out of the van." He took off like a shot for the stairs, leaving me to look for my room on my own.

I went across the hall to another door. I turned the knob and peered into the room. I gasped. The room was large and very…fascinating (to me at least). The walls were immaculately white, as were the floorboards. Off to the right there was a white canopy bed and the fabric draped over top of it was white as well. The bedside table beside it and the lamp set on top of it were white. The desk and small stool off in the far right corner were white. In the corner closest to me on my right was a white bookshelf. Opposite of the bookshelf was a tall white dresser. Next to the dresser was a white vanity with three mirrors. Beside that was a white door, which I assumed was a closet. It was as if the room itself was an unfinished sketch in someone's sketchbook, a long forgotten work that had been left to be completed at a later date but never was.

The only color in the room came from the large window on the far wall with a sheer curtain drawn across it. The light from the sunset outside bathed the room in an orange glow. I walked over to the window, drew back the curtain and looked outside. The view of the woods and horizon was spectacular, unlike anything I'd ever seen before.

This room was…perfect!

I walked out of the room and headed down the stairs when I saw a pile of our cardboard boxes in the middle of the foyer. Demyx then walked in, shoes squeaking, with my suitcase. He was merrily humming a tune when he saw me and stopped abruptly. He stared at me for a moment, not studying me, but looking like he was trying to remember something very, very important. Eyes widening suddenly, he dropped my suitcase and made a mad dash for the door, shouting, "Crap!"

"What's wrong, Dem?" I shouted.

"I forgot I have to pick up a few things around town. I'll be back!" With that he was out the door, leaving me alone once again, this time to deal with the boxes.

Shaking my head at his forgetful antics, I went downstairs and picked my suitcase up. I sauntered back up the stairs to my new room and set my suitcase down on the floorboards. I headed back downstairs to see the butler from earlier standing there.

"Would you like some help, Miss Naminé?" he asked.

"Yes please."

We each picked up a box and headed upstairs. Before I knew it all of the boxes were in their right rooms. "Thank you," I said to the butler. He simply bowed and, turning on his heels, he left.

Now, it was time to unpack. Books, knick-knacks, and art supplies were put on the bookshelf. The photograph of Demyx, our parents, and I went on the bedside table. My various articles of clothing were put in either the closet or dresser. I went across the hall to Demyx's room and opened the box Demyx had put everything from the bathroom in, conveniently marked "Bathroom Stuff." I pulled out my hair brush and elastic hair ties and put them into the drawers of my vanity. I took my sketchbook out of my bag and set it on the desk along with my laptop, a box of colored pencils, and the folders full of my sketches. I got my comforter, sheets, and pillowcases out and made the bed. I looked around, and the feeling that something was missing nagged at me. But I shrugged it off. I'd worry about it later.

As I finished by placing my fluffy blanket at the foot of the bed, there was a knock at my door. "Miss Naminé," the butler's voice drifted into the room, "dinner will be beginning shortly." There was the sound of creaking floorboards and footfalls, signaling him taking his leave.

I made my way down to the dining room and saw that it was pretty much the same as it had been when I was last here. The cherry oak table was covered by a white tablecloth. Platters covered by silver domes were spread from end to end. However there were fewer chairs this time around. Only three. There was one at one head of the table that Great-uncle Ansem was already occupying, and the other two were obviously for Demyx and me. All of them had fine china, linen napkins, and all the silverware placed properly in front of them.

I seated myself in the chair that was farther away from Great-uncle Ansem and glanced over at him. Hand propping up his head, he glared at me. Then, with a simple, disdainful shake of his head he shifted his gaze to the window.

I looked at the silver-domed platters of what I assumed were gourmet dishes. My mouth watered at all of the possibilities of delectable foods those domes could be concealing. My stomach growled rather loudly. I really wanted to just chow down right then and there, but I knew better. I had been reprimanded by Great-uncle Ansem at just about every family reunion because I always forgot to wait until everyone was seated at the table before eating. And I wasn't about to let that happen again.

_Growl!_

_But I'm so hungry_, I thought._ Come on, Demyx. Hurry up._

And speaking of the devil, at that moment, Demyx walked into the dining room with plastic bags in both hands. "I'm back!" he exclaimed. "And look what I bought."

He set the one plastic bag down and pulled an outfit out of the bag in his hand. The outfit consisted of a crisp, white button up blouse, a black blazer with a crest on the left side right where one's heart would be, a pleated black skirt and a forest green neck tie. I realized what it was immediately. It was my new uniform.

Destiny Island High had required uniforms, so it wasn't anything new for me. I'd have to get used to the colors though. My old uniform had been white and blue. Black, green and white were going to take some getting used to.

"Hooray!" Demyx said. "You're now officially a Twilight Town Raven."

Raven? Oh yeah, that's right. Twilight Town High's mascot was a raven (ugh). I should have remembered that much from our game against them at the blitzball championship last year, because all I heard or saw all that week leading up to the game was, "Go Sharks! Beat the Ravens!", or something to that effect in one form or another. I didn't remember the score, but I was pretty sure we lost. I remembered Demyx telling me that the Ravens had had some "kick ass" sophomores last year.

Accepting the fact that I had gone from being a Destiny Island Shark to a Twilight Town Raven, I nodded. "I guess I am…" I said quietly.

"And I also picked up your school supplies," he said picking up the other plastic bag. A second later, he dropped the bag with a gasp. "Food!" he shouted and took a seat in the vacant chair.

Clearing his throat, Great-uncle Ansem said, "Now that we are all present, dinner is served." He picked up a silver handbell and rang it.

Butlers immediately emerged from the kitchen and began removing the domes from the platters to reveal an array of mouth-watering, gourmet foods that I didn't even know the names of, not that I cared all that much with my growling stomach. All three of us immediately dug in. The food was wonderful and dinner was bearable, if not rather silent for the most part. Great-uncle Ansem finished his meal first and retired for the evening. That left Demyx and me to chat with each other while we finished our own meals.

One of the butlers came out of the kitchen just as we finished eating. "Would either of you like some dessert?" he asked.

Demyx and I looked at each other. We both still had room in our stomachs for dessert and nodded eagerly. The butler immediately brought us each a slice chiffon cake covered with white icing and topped with fresh strawberries. We consumed the cake slowly as to savor its light fluffiness and sweet taste.

Once we were finished, we headed up to our rooms with my new uniforms and school supplies. When I got to my room I put my new school supplies into my bag. Hanging my uniform up, I decided to go get my shower and grabbed a pair of blue pajama pants and a yellow t-shirt with a cute chocobo on it. I went and grabbed the "Bathroom Stuff" box out of Demyx's room and found the bathroom, which happened to be right next to my room. I grabbed what I needed for my shower—shampoo, conditioner, body wash, towel, hair dryer—along with my other toiletries out of the "Bathroom Stuff" box and stripped down and hopped in the shower. Letting the warm water cascade over my body, I took as long as I possibly could. When the water started getting cold I rinsed myself off, got out, dried myself off, and changed into my pajamas.

After blow drying my hair and performing the rest of my nightly rituals, I went back to my room, ready for a good night's sleep. I crawled into bed, cocooning myself in my sheets and comforter. I shut my eyes, expecting to immediately drift off to dreamland. But I never did. Instead, I lay there wide awake, my thoughts being preoccupied by what tomorrow could bring.

I hopped out of bed and walked over to the window, thinking that perhaps some fresh air would help clear my head. I opened the window and a light breeze wafted into the room, making the curtains sway gently. I looked out to see the dark woods perfectly visible under the light of the full moon. I grabbed my sketchbook off my desk and began to draw. With gentle strokes of my colored pencils, I captured the site onto once blank page.

I tore the page out, took some tape, and stuck it to the wall. I stared at it for a while before I turned my gaze to give the rest of the room a once over. So that's what was missing. My own personal touch that was added by my sketches. Although, I didn't think I'd want to cover the walls with my sketches from Destiny Island. They held too many reminders of my old home. So, I decided I'd just have to cover the walls with the new memories I made here.

My eyes feeling heavy, it was time for me to get some shut eye. I crawled back into bed and curled up in a ball under the covers. Hoping that I would make some good memories here, I drifted off to sleep.

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><p>Hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to review!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Touched up version of chapter 3! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story.

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><p>The faint strumming of a sitar woke me from my sleep. Cracking an eye open, I saw Demyx dressed in a white dress shirt, black slacks and a blue tie sitting on my stool strumming away on his sitar happily. A wide grin was spread across his face, and it only grew wider as he said, "Good morning, Nami!"<p>

Sitting up, I grumbled, "What is it, Dem?"

"It's time to get up," he answered. "It's the first day of school!"

"Yay," I said monotonously. I lay back down, way too comfortable to pull myself out of bed. It was then that I felt my sides being tickled. I went into a fit of giggles and tried slapping the hands away, only to have them find different spots on my body to tickle mercilessly. "All right, all right, I'll get up," I said between giggles.

Demyx, satisfied, let up on his tickling and, smiling, walked out the door and closed it behind him.

I got out of bed and started getting ready for school. I put my uniform on and looked at myself in the vanity mirror. It looked fairly simple but also kind of cute. Content with my appearance, I quickly brushed my hair and ran downstairs, but not before grabbing my sketchbook, school supplies, and bag on my way out the door.

A plate of freshly cooked scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and a glass of chocolate milk was waiting for me at the table. I scarfed it all down as no one was there to stop me from using terrible etiquette. I ran back upstairs to brush my teeth. After that, I headed downstairs to find Demyx waiting for me in the foyer, his sitar case slung over his shoulder. We got in his van and drove to the train station.

We arrived at the train station and Demyx bought us tickets. We boarded the crowded shuttle that would take us closest to the high school, which just so happened to be on the other side of town. It would only be a ten minute ride, but I suppose it would've taken longer if we had gone by any other means of transportation.

As I sat there in my seat, I looked around the shuttle car. I saw that many of the passengers were dressed in the school's uniform like I was. The girls were in various clique circles on one side of the car, all leaning into their respective circles closely as one whispered something quietly to the others. The boys, on the other hand, were shouting and making other obnoxious noises on the other side of the car. Well, I'd already found two typical stereotypes of people that I would possibly have to deal with. Gossips and clowns. Oh, how wonderful!

…Not.

When the train stopped, everyone began making for the exits. Demyx and I followed the throngs of passengers. We got out to the sidewalk and Demyx pointed across the street, shouting, "There it is, Nami!"

I looked across the street and my jaw dropped. Twilight Town High was gorgeous! It made Destiny Island High look like a dump, and it was much more appealing to the eye than Great-uncle Ansem's decrepit old mansion. The building stood four stories tall with who knows how many classrooms. The windows were clean and the grounds were very well-kept. There was ivy growing up the walls, but it gave the building an air of elegance in contrast to the ivy growing on the mansion. The fence that encircled the roof was a bit of an eyesore, but was nothing in comparison to the rest of the building. It certainly made a good first impression for itself, but just because it looked good on the outside did not mean it was all that nice on the inside.

Demyx and I crossed the street and walked up to the front entrance. Demyx pushed the door open and, with a tilt of his head, gestured for me to go inside.

I walked in and the first thing I saw was a huge raven. Its wings were spread in mid-flight. Its sharp talons were primed as though it was about to snatch me up from where I stood and carry me off to its nest and feed me to its hungry hatchlings. I stared at it wide-eyed until I noticed the forest green background behind it.

It was just a picture on a banner. Nothing to worry about.

Looking away, I glanced around the hallway. Students were both walking and lingering in the hallways, idly chatting with their friends after a long summer. The floor tiles were green and black, and freshly waxed from what I could smell. The walls had the top half painted eggshell white and the bottom half forest green. Green lockers lined the walls on both sides. Above me was a black sign with white arrows and green lettering. From what it was telling me, the main office and the guidance counselor's office were to my right, the auditorium was to my left, the gym was at the end of the hallway, the band and the chorus rooms were down a hall to the left of the gym, and the cafeteria and the stairwell were just past the gym to the right. And hanging off the bottom of the sign was…

A digital clock! I could barely tell time on analog clocks to begin with; digital ones were so much easier for me to read. Just because of that, I was already becoming quite taken with this place.

Well…the school itself at least. It was very much to my liking, both inside and out.

That was not what mattered though. What truly mattered was what kept this place alive and thriving, its life blood. The students. Would they welcome me as one of their own or treat me like the outsider that I was? I was truly afraid to find out.

"Hey," Demyx said, tapping my shoulder, "I got to go. Get your schedule, and don't forget to come find my classroom after school, 'kay? Have a nice day, Nami." He ruffled my hair and strode down the hallway toward the band room.

I walked into the office. There was an elderly receptionist seated behind the front desk. She looked at me and smiled her nose crinkling. "May I help you, dear?" she asked.

"Um, I'm here for my schedule," I said quietly.

"Name?"

"Naminé Strife."

She opened one of her desk drawers and began looking through it. "Strife, Strife, Strife…ah, here it is," she said and handed me my schedule.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

I left the office and began looking through my schedule. I had homeroom, art (with a Mr. Axel Burnstine! Yay!), physics, math, home economics, lunch, P.E., history, Grammar and Literature III, and drama in that order. Near the top of the page was my locker number, 730.

Now where would that be?

I looked around the building and ended up finding it on the third floor. I put in the combination listed below the locker number and opened it. The door stuck a little, but there was nothing else wrong with it from what I could tell.

"Good morning, locker neighbor!" said a bubbly voice from beside me.

I turned to see a girl with auburn hair and blue eyes. She was my height, if not just a bit taller than me. There was a cheery, friendly smile on her face. She seemed nice enough.

"Hi," I quietly said with a small wave of my hand.

"You must be new here. I'm Kairi, Kairi Vollmond. What's your name?"

"Naminé…"

"Oh, that's a pretty name! Hey, can I see your schedule real quick?"

I nodded and handed her my schedule. Her eyes swept over it eagerly.

"Oh, cool! We have drama together," Kairi said, handing me back my schedule.

"Kairi!" I heard two voices shout. We both looked in the direction the voices had come from. There were two girls, a brunette with short hair and a blonde with her long hair pulled up in a ponytail and in various braids, waving Kairi over.

"Well, I'll see you in drama. Later!" she said and ran off toward them.

I turned back to my locker. I stared into the emptiness inside, my expression thoughtful.

_Did I just…make a friend?_ I asked myself. Only time would tell, though she had seemed like a very amiable person.

With a small smile, I shut my still empty locker and looked at my schedule. My homeroom class was with a Mr. Skylark. I took a glance around the hallway. I saw that his classroom wasn't too far away from my locker. I walked into the classroom to find no one in there. I looked at the clock (which was also digital!). According to it, class started in five minutes. I took a seat over by the window. The rest of the class sidled in slowly and took their seats within the rest of the five minutes.

Just as the bell rang, a man with spikey, dirty blond hair walked in. He was wearing an olive green shirt, a brown pair of pants and a tie of the same color. He had a charming smile on his boyish face as he took a seat behind the desk at the front of the room.

"Good morning, class," he said in a welcoming tone. "I am Mr. Skylark, and, as most of you have already heard, I am not one for formalities. So please just call me Ven." He then began taking role. "Naminé Strife," he called eventually.

"Here," I said, raising my hand slightly. I noticed a few heads turn in my direction. I'd heard that the new kids to a student body are like the latest toys to a group kids. They're all anyone talks about for like a week and then they become old news…just as long as they do not seem too interesting or vulnerable. And I was praying that I seemed like the most boring toy in the world.

Just as he finished taking role, the bell rang. "All right, class," he said, "have a nice day! And don't forget to pick up a student handbook on your way out."

I quickly grabbed one as I headed out the door and stuffed it in my bag. I pulled out my schedule. The next class started in five minutes, so I started looking for the Axel's classroom. It took me a few minutes, but I found it with less than a minute to spare. Turns out it was just down the hall from my homeroom.

I poked my head into the room and saw Axel sitting behind his desk typing away on his laptop. His hair was as red and as wild as ever. He wore a red shirt, black pants and black tie. Honestly, he didn't look like the teaching type at first glance. Then again, neither did Demyx.

I tiptoed over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to me and when our eyes met, he smiled. "Hey there, squirt," he said, ruffling my hair.

I giggled. "Long time no see," I said with a smile. I had missed him a lot.

The bell rang. "Why don't you go take a seat, kiddo," he suggested.

I looked around for a seat. Aside from all the art supplies strewn everywhere, the room was full of two-person tables. All of the tables were full except for one. There was an empty chair at a table in the back of the room. Trying not to draw too much attention to myself (though I probably had, considering I was the new girl and was already on good terms with the teacher), I went and took my seat.

"Okay, guys," Axel said, "since I don't have a lesson planned for today, do whatever you want. Just don't make too much noise or the principal'll come in and we'll all get in trouble, got it?"

There was resounding agreement among my peers and they all went about their own business. Most just chatted, but others made paper airplanes or lined up a few of the tables and started playing paper football.

As I pulled out my sketchbook and colored pencils, I took a quick glance around the room. I needed something to draw, but there was nothing all that inspirational around me.

Then I took a look at the person seated beside me, and I couldn't keep myself from staring at him. He was a slim and pale guy. His slate hair was in the typical emo style, his bangs draping over the right side of his face like a curtain. The exposed half of his rather handsome face was drawn into a neutral expression. His striking blue eye quickly skimmed over the words in the book he was reading. He was very hot to say the least, but, as they say, looks can be deceiving (although, that wouldn't keep me from sketching him).

Carefully, I began drawing him. My hand gently guided my pencil over the page, the lines taking the shape of his head and neck. I then drew his hair, being extra careful to get his bangs right. I erased a few lines and redrew them before penciling in the rest of his features—his eye, his nose, his lips. They had to be perfect.

As I finished my rough sketch, a male voice asked, "Is that supposed to be me?"

I turned to see my muse squinting at my drawing of him. My cheeks began heating up. My mouth was open, but I couldn't even form words. My brain was having a complete and utter meltdown. All I could think about was how much of a freak he must think I am. He'd probably tell everyone I was weird. At that moment, it looked like any chance I had had of fitting in here had gone up in flames.

Finally able to speak properly, I stuttered, "I-I'm so sorry! I-"

"What are you apologizing for?" the guy asked, raising a brow. "It's good."

I stared at him bug-eyed, registering what he had said. "Really?" I asked in surprise, and he nodded. "Oh…thanks."

With another nod, he extended his hand to me. "I'm Zexion Ignatz."

"Naminé Strife…" I answered timidly, shaking his hand without looking him in the eye. I could sense my shyness kicking itself into overdrive, and I was ninety-nine percent sure it was because I was talking to a cute guy.

"So where are you from?" Zexion asked.

"Destiny Island."

"That's kind of far…"

I just nodded. _Darn my introvertedness_, I thought.

He looked back down at my sketchbook. "So, is drawing a hobby for you?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah…" I replied, receiving a nod in understanding.

It was rare when anyone actually seemed like they wanted to talk to me. Most people talked to me just to be polite and would have gone back to their own business when I'd let an awkward silence slip in, and, although he was being subtle about it, Zexion seemed to be listening to me, his blue eye gazing at me with what seemed to be interest. I couldn't help but smile at that.

The bell rang, and he grabbed his backpack. "Well, I'll see you later," he said as we headed off to our own classes.

I found the physics room on the fourth floor. I walked in and was met by the sound of clamorous shouts. I saw dark-haired boy, who was on the heavier side, and a skinny, black-haired girl screaming in each other's faces.

The boy caught sight of me. "You!" he shouted, pointing his index finger at me. "We need to ask your opinion on something."

"Yeah!" the girl exclaimed as she dragged me over by the arm.

_Oh geez_, I thought. _What am I _literally_ being dragged into?_

The boy asked, "Who's going to win the upcoming IBA match? Angeal Hewley—"

"Or Snow Villiers?" the girl finished.

I blinked. I'd have to think on this one.

The IBA is the International Boxing Association. I only knew that because Demyx, surprisingly, liked watching boxing. I sometimes would watch it him when I wasn't sketching and had nothing better to do. From what I remembered from a few of the matches that I had watched, Angeal Hewley and Snow Villiers were two of the top boxers. Hewley was a mad power house in every match I'd ever seen him in. Villiers was a pretty tough guy, too, but he was more bark than bite.

"Hewley," I answered quietly.

"Ha! In your face, Kisaragi!" the boy hollered as he shoved his finger in the girl's face, which she promptly bit. "Ow!"

"Oh, can it, Trombini!" Kisaragi snapped and stomped away childishly.

Trombini turned to me with a sheepish grin. "Hey, sorry about that," he said. "She just wouldn't shut up about how awesome she thinks Snow is."

"No problem," I said shyly. I looked over at Kisaragi. She was silently boiling in her seat. "Um, is she always like that?"

"Yeah, but that's Yuffie for you."

So that was her name.

"Anyway, I'm Pence," he said.

"I'm Naminé Strife," I said quietly (and that wouldn't be the last time I'd say that today).

"So you're his sister!" he shouted excitedly.

"Huh?"

"Demyx mentioned you during band last period. Never thought I'd actually get to meet you so quickly."

Figures. I just hoped he hadn't said anything embarrassing (and there were plenty of embarrassing things he could've said).

Pence and I sat next to each other when the teacher walked in. This man didn't look like the teaching type, either. He looked more like he'd be in street gang. He had long, black hair with numerous gray streaks pulled back into a ponytail. He was dressed a white dress shirt, black slacks, and a black tie. He had an eye patch over his right eye. There was a scar going down from his left cheek to his jaw bone. I couldn't help but wonder what the stories were behind that eye patch and scar.

"Hey," he said casually. "I'm Mr. Fletcher, but just call me Xigbar. I'll be your physics teacher. You know the drill. Just keep your mouths shut while I'm talking, and we won't have any issues."

He began teaching a lesson about the Laws of Motion. I took notes and listened as best as I could, but I kept spacing out. Science had never been my forte (obviously). I always had to put in extra effort just so I could at least pass the class.

When the bell rang, I hurriedly left to find my math class. I found it just down the hall and sat myself down at a desk. No one was in there, not even the teacher. I still had time to kill, so I pulled out my sketchbook and did a few touch ups on my sketch of Zexion. I was completely at peace…until a hand landed on Zexion's face.

"Hey there, doll face. Haven't seen you 'round here before," said a male voice.

So much for being at peace.

I looked up. There were two muscular guys—one more muscular than the other—standing in front of my desk. The one leaning on my desk, with his hand on my precious sketchbook, had a black knit hat on his head and a scar that ran from above his left brow to below his right eye. He had a cocky smile on his face. The guy beside him was tan and had the bangs of his dark hair spiked up. Just from looking at them, I could tell these guys were bad news. They looked like a couple of brutes.

"Say," said the guy with the hat, "can I borrow your library card?"

Oh geez…

"Because I want to check you out."

Great. Brutes with cheesy pickup lines. Just what I needed.

"Uh, no thanks," I said quietly. "I'm not interested."

The guy's smile faded, his face contorting into a fierce scowl. "What'd you say?" he snarled, clearly pissed as his blue eyes glared down at mine.

"You heard her, Mr. Disciplinary Committee," said another male voice. "She's not interested."

We all turned our heads to see a guy with blond, curly hair heading our way. From what I could see, he clearly had toned muscles, but he was nowhere near as muscular as the other two. The guy marched right up to "Mr. Disciplinary Committee," his dark brown eyes glaring at him with extreme distaste.

Mr. Disciplinary Committee returned the glare tenfold. "You stay out of this, loser," he growled.

If it wasn't apparent that they hated each other at that moment, it became very apparent when they began beating each other's faces in. Mr. Disciplinary Committee made the first hit with a right hook to the blond's cheek. The blond retaliated by dealing his opponent a blow to the jaw.

In a panic, I got up out of my seat to run and get a teacher. Someone had to break up the fight, but it most certainly wasn't going to be me.

I was almost at the door when I saw a crowd of students standing in the doorway, blocking my exit. "Fight!" someone shouted. The kids poured in, and I got swept up in the crowd. The crowd encircled the two fighters, and I ended up with a front row seat to the fight with everyone around me chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

I looked around for a gap in the crowd to escape through, but I couldn't find one. I turned back to the fight just in time to see Mr. Disciplinary Committee punch the blond guy right in the nose. I winced as I saw the bridge of his nose break under his skin.

Just as Mr. Disciplinary Committee's crony was about to join in on the fight, a man ran in and forced the two apart, causing them to slam to the floor. The guys turned to glare at the man, the blond with his hand over his nose. Upon seeing the man's face, they all paled.

The man was tall and well-muscled. His brown hair fell just to his shoulders. He had a scar that mirrored the one Mr. Disciplinary Committee had.

And he was furious.

"ALMASY, DAVIS, GOZALEZ! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU IDIOTS THINK YOU'RE DOING?" he shouted, receiving no answer. "YOU'RE LUCKY IT'S THE FIRST DAY, OR ELSE I'D HAVE YOU SUSPENDED! NOW, ANYMORE FIGHTING AND I'LL HAVE YOU BENCHED AT FRIDAY'S GAME! GOT IT?!"

"Yes, Coach," they mumbled.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"Yes, Coach," they said more loudly.

"Good," he said. He looked at Mr. Disciplinary Committee and his crony. "Get in a seat."

The two hurriedly and fearfully took their seats. As the crowd began to disperse, the man bent down to the blond, who was still covering his nose with his hand. The man pulled the hand away from the guy's face. The palm of his hand was red, his nose was gushing blood.

The man looked up and his eyes landed on me. "Take him to the nurse," he ordered.

"B-but," I stammered, "I don't know where it is."

"Just go with him and make sure he doesn't pass out on the way there."

"O-okay."

Putting his hand back over his nose, the blond guy walked out the door, and I followed after him. We walked down the hall in silence.

I really wanted to thank him for what he did back there. I also wanted to apologize for his nose. I kind of felt like it was my fault that it got broken. When we reached the stairwell, I finally opened my mouth to speak. "Um…" I said.

He turned to me. "Hm?"

"I…I just wanted to say thank you…"

"Hey, no problem," he said.

"And I'm sorry about your nose," I said apologetically.

"Don't worry 'bout it. I've been through worse," he said with a hiss of pain as we reach the second floor hallway. The nurse's office was all the way down at the other end.

"So, those guys back there, what was their deal?" I asked as we continued walking.

"You mean Seifer and Rai?" he asked. I nodded, assuming those were their names. "They're just assholes. If they ever give you any problems again, just let me know and my friends and I'll take care of it."

"Thank you," I said gratefully.

"No biggie."

"And that man was your coach?"

"Well, Leon's technically our assistant coach for the blitzball team, but when Coach isn't around Leon's word is law."

"Oh," I said.

"I'm Hayner by the way."

"Naminé."

We reached the nurse's office and walked inside. There was a plump, middle-aged woman pulling something out of a cabinet on the far side of the room. She turned to us. "May I help you?" she asked.

Hayner removed his hand from his face and she gasped. She led him over to a chair and turned to me. "You can go back to class," she said. "He's in good hands."

As much as I didn't want to leave him, I headed back to math class. I walked into the room to find Leon in the middle of a lesson. I sat down where I had been, my sketchbook still open to my drawing of Zexion. I pulled out my notebook and tried to take notes for the remainder of class.

When the bell rang, I went in search of the home economics room. I found it on the first floor across the hall from the cafeteria. I walked in and saw that one half of the room had five kitchen stations complete with ovens, stoves, sinks and plenty of counter space. There were a couple of tables on the other half. On the far side of the room was a person with pink feathery hair seated behind a desk.

I took a seat at one of the tables, and as the rest of class started coming in, I let my mind wander a bit. _I wonder what we are going to learn to first in this class_, I thought.

_Growl!_

_Because I really hope it's cooking_, I thought, laying my head down on the table.

"Good morning, class, my name is Mr. Amoroso, or Marly if you prefer, and I'll be your teacher," I heard a male voice say, and I lifted my head off the table. The pinkette at the front of the room was the one speaking. "Now take a look at the person sitting next to you. They'll be your partner in all work we do for the whole year."

I looked to my side to see a smiling girl with green eyes and her chocolate brown hair in two braids. "Hi," she chirped. "I'm Olette Stevenson."

"Naminé Strife," I said with a small smile.

"Nice to meet you."

"You too."

"Now that you've introduced yourselves," said Marly, "it's time for our first lesson." He turned to the blackboard and, taking a piece of white chalk, proceeded to write. "Today we are going to talk about marzipan."

Marzipan? Quirking an eyebrow, I glanced at Olette. She shrugged. We sat there, both of our stomachs grumbling, listening to his lecture for the next forty minutes until the bell rang.

"Hey, you want to have lunch with me and my friends?" Olette asked as we headed out of the room.

"Sure," I said.

As I followed her I let a small smile grace my face. That morning I had possibly made five friends, which seemed like quite a feat to me. I couldn't help but feel ecstatic.

At that moment, I had a feeling I was going to like this place.

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><p>Hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to review!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Touched up version of chapter 4! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story.

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><p>Going across the hall to the cafeteria, I got in the lunch line with Olette and grabbed a styrofoam tray and a set plastic silverware. The line moved rather quickly, and soon I was standing in front of the gray-haired, grumpy-looking lunch lady. I held out my tray and the lunch lady lifted her ladle from the pot in front of her and dumped a heap of gray slop onto it.<p>

Disgusted, I whispered to Olette, "What's this supposed to be?"

Looking just as disgusted as I felt, she whispered back, "Meat casserole."

What meat? All I saw was slop.

We made our way through the noisy room to an empty lunch table and sat down beside each other. I took my plastic spork and went to prod at the supposed food. As the prongs of my spork made contact with it, the slop deflated, forming a crater in the center. I made a face.

Note to self, bring a bagged lunch from now on.

"Can't believe I forgot the lunch ladies can't even make a decent meal," Olette said. She pushed her tray away and I did the same.

Pence and Hayner came over and sat down, Pence on the other side of Olette and Hayner across from him, both with their own trays of slop. I saw that Hayner's nose was all bandaged up and felt a stab of guilt in my stomach; it was my fault he had gotten into that fight after all.

Olette gasped. "Hayner, what happened?"

"I got in a fight with Seifer," Hayner admitted casually with a shrug.

"Why?"

"He was being an ass."

"What did he do this time?" Pence asked.

Hayner told them whole story of what had happened earlier. When he mentioned me, Pence and Olette both looked at me, and I just stared down at the table.

"Well, in that case," Olette said when he finished his story, "he deserved it."

"Exactly," Hayner said. Then he turned to me. "Hey, did you get the notes from math?"

"Uh, yeah," I said and pulled my notebook out of my bag. He took it with a quick thank you and began copying down the notes.

At that moment I noticed the noise volume in the cafeteria had toned down a few decibels. Curious, I looked around to see a majority of the girls in the room were staring at something with slightly slacked jaws. I turned my head in the direction of their stares and saw not something, but somebody.

Well…more like two somebodies.

Walking into the cafeteria were two cute guys. One looked like a mirror image of Mr. Skylark. He had both the man's hair and face. The other had brown, spiky hair of a different style that I couldn't exactly describe. He had a friendly disposition, unlike his blond companion, who was more reserved. Their looks were enough to make just about any girl's cheeks flush, and enough to make any other guy green with envy. And they both had the same gorgeous, ocean blue eyes.

Curious, I elbowed Olette and asked her in a hushed voice, "Who are they?"

She followed my gaze to the two guys. "Their names are Sora and Roxas Skylark. They're Ven's twin boys. Sora's the brunette and Roxas is the blond."

"What's so special about them?" I asked. Just what was it about them that had almost every girl in the whole room, aside from Olette and me, drooling all over themselves (besides their good looks)?

"They're the most popular guys in school and co-captains of the blitzball team. Not to mention good pieces of eye candy!"  
>As good-looking as they were, jocks just weren't my type. Most jocks I knew back at Destiny Island High, not including Wakka and Tidus, had been jerks, and the most popular ones had been the most arrogant assholes of them all. But I supposed that I was a little quick to judge them. I mean, for all I knew, they could be really nice guys.<p>

"I see…"

"Yeah," Olette said with a sigh. "Roxas is single, but that's only because he says no one around here is his type." I quirked an eyebrow and she shrugged. "That's just what he says, and Hayner, Pence, and me, being his best friends, have known that for a long time."

I hummed. If Roxas was friends with the three of them he couldn't have been all that bad. Then I asked curiously, "And Sora?"

"He's already in a relationship."

"With who?"

"Sora!" a familiar voice shouted. I knew I had heard it before, but I could not quite remember who it belonged to.

Just then I saw a white, black and red blur run past me. I watched in confusion as it went right to Sora and latched itself onto his arm. I blinked and saw that the thing now clinging to Sora's arm was Kairi.

"Hi, honey bunny!" she cooed in a loud, sweet voice.

"Hey, babe," he said and planted a kiss on her lips.

"Her," Olette said, answering my question.

"Kairi?" I whispered to Olette.

"Yeah, you've already met her?'

"Just this morning."

"Ah, well, she's a friend of ours too. She's a cheerleader, but a really nice one at that. And, to be honest, her and Sora make such a cute couple."

I'd have to admit they did look pretty good together. With the way they were holding and kissing each other, they looked like a picture-perfect couple. They almost looked too perfect together. I felt a tiny stab of jealousy in my heart, because I'd never experienced anything like that before.

They, along with Roxas, who was rolling his eyes at their public display of affection, came and sat down at our lunch table. Kairi immediately took notice of me. "Hi, Naminé," she said. "So, how do you like Twilight Town High?"

"It's too early to say," I said. I still had the rest of the day to get through after all.

"You'll grow to like it, don't worry," she chirped. "Anyway, Sora, this is Naminé. Naminé, this is my sweetie pie Sora…oh, and that's Roxas."

"Hi," Sora said. Roxas just nodded a hello. I just gave a quick wave and looked down at my hands, which were folded on the table.

Olette and Pence pulled me into a conversation about the band music Demyx had given them for the half-time show performances (they were a majorette and a tenor drum player, respectively). While we were talking, I overheard Hayner telling Roxas an extremely exaggerated recollection of his fight with Seifer. And Sora and Kairi, well, they were primarily sucking face the whole time.

Then, out of my peripheral vision, I saw somebody sit next to me. I turned my head to see a familiar head of slate hair.

"Hey, Zexion," I said as calmly as I could. I didn't want to seem overly happy and scare him away.

"Hey," he said, and I swore I saw a ghost of a smile on his face. However, that smile was quickly replaced with a frown. "Where's your lunch?"

I pointed at the gray pile of slop on my tray and stuck out my tongue. Zexion pulled a brown paper bag out of backpack and pulled out a sandwich. He offered it to me. Taking the sandwich, I said, "Thanks."

As I was about to take a bite, I noticed Olette was looking at me funny. "What?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I'll tell you later," she said. "Anyway, can I see your phone really quick?"

"Uh, sure," I said, putting down the sandwich and rummaging through my bag. Upon finding it, I pulled it out and handed it to her.

Munching on my sandwich, I watched her curiously as she began keying something in on my phone. When she was finished, instead of handing it back to me, she handed it over to Pence, began typing away on it, too. Thoroughly confused, I watched as my phone got passed around the table, each person keying in something. When it reached Zexion I leaned over to see what he was keying in on my screen.

He was adding himself to my contact list.

He handed my phone back to me and I began scrolling through my contacts. The only names I had originally had in there were Demyx, Selphie, Tidus, Wakka and Xion. Now among those names were Hayner, Kairi, Olette, Pence, Roxas, Sora and Zexion. I gave Olette a confused look.

"Now you don't have to ask for our numbers," she said with a smile. "All you have to do is send us a text saying who you are."

"Oh, okay," I said, a small smile lighting up my face. I keyed my nickname into the new message box. I sent it to them and shut my phone. "Is that, um…a normal thing you guys do around here?"

"Only in the high school."

Just then the bell rang, signaling for everyone to go on to their next class. I hurriedly finished my sandwich before grabbing my tray and following everyone else toward the exit, where there were garbage cans waiting. I dumped my tray into one of the cans and waved good-bye to Zexion, Olette and the others as I pulled out my schedule. I had phys. ed next, so I made my way over to the gym.

Walking into the gym, I was greeted by a tall, extremely muscular man with curly, chestnut hair. "Take a seat on the bleachers," he said. "We'll begin once everyone else arrives."

I took a seat on the bleachers and began looking around the gym. It had a pretty similar layout to Destiny Island High's gym—two locker rooms, a weight room off to one side, basketball hoops—the only differences being the color scheme and the team emblem in the center of the gym.

I pulled out my sketchbook and started adding some color to Zexion's features. I lightly shaded in his pale skin to get just the right tone, and blended my various shades of gray for his hair. Then when I got to his eye, I stopped and stared at it for a bit. I remembered it had been blue, but I was drawing a blank on the exact hue.

_Oh, this is going to be bugging me all day_, I thought, puffing out my cheeks in frustration. A sigh aggravation escaping my lips, I shut my sketchbook just in time for the teacher to start his speech.

As the gym teacher Mr. Rockwell, or Lexaeus (he said he didn't care which we used), went on for the next few minutes talking about the dress code and such, I began looking around at my classmates, who had walked in while I was concentrating on Zexion's profile. I immediately caught sight of Sora and Roxas (with their hairstyles, they were hard to miss), but I didn't recognize anyone else.

Turning my attention back to the teacher, I just managed to catch him asking, "Any questions?" There was silence. He went on to say we were to do whatever we wanted for the day, since he suspected no one had brought their gym cloths, and left for his office.

Flipping my sketchbook back open, I went back to staring at Zexion's eye, its white iris mocking me. I left class, frustrated, my cheeks puffed out again. I sat through my history class, taught by Mr. Eraqus, like that, too. I was almost at the point where I wanted to tear the page out, crumple it into a ball and throw it in the trash.

I walked into my grammar and literature class silently steaming when I saw Zexion sitting in a desk, reading. My frustration quickly subsiding, I made my way over to him quietly. Taking the seat in front of him, I tapped his shoulder. He looked at me, and his blue eye met mine.

And I couldn't keep myself from staring.

I mentally slapped myself because I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed it before. His eye was the entrancing color of the deep blue sky. As I continued to gaze at it, I felt my heart fluttered like a bird in my chest. If I had wings myself, I'd want to take flight and soar through that beautiful, endless sky.

"Uh," I heard Zexion, "you need something?"

I blinked out of my trance, my cheeks flushing in embarrassment, and I suddenly became interested in the corner of his desk. I said, "I…I needed to take another look at your eye, so I could finish my picture…."

"Oh, okay," he said, going back to his book. "Let me know when you're finished."

Feeling a wave of relief surge through me, I began looking through my color pencils for just the right hue. Finding it, I shaded in his blank iris carefully.

When I finished, I held my sketchbook away from myself to examine my work. I had to admit it was one of my better works. Sadly, though, I didn't think it did him justice; for some reason his nose looked a little too big to me.

Placing my sketchbook on his desk, I said, "Done!"

Zexion ripped his eyes away from his book and peered down at it. As his eye swept over the picture, I felt a bout of anxiety come over me. What if I really had made his nose too big? My leg twitching with nervous energy, I watched him. His emotionless mask never faltered.

Finally looking at me, he said, "Does my nose really look that big?"

_I knew it_, I thought dejectedly. _I'm a pathetic excuse for an artist. I should just quit now while I'm ahead and resign myself to being a hobo for the rest of my pitiful life._

My disappointment must have been showing on my face because the next thing I knew, Zexion was rubbing my shoulder, saying, "I kid, I kid. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen anyone draw this realistically. If I ever need a sketch artist, you'll definitely the first person I call."

"Thanks," I said, letting a shy smile grace my lips.

Class went by quietly, Ms. Lockhart only stopping her lecture once to throw an eraser at a group of guys near the back of the room who were talking. She gave us our first novel to read, _The Jungle_, and assigned the first five chapters to be read by the end of the week. Zexion and I had drama class together next, so we walked down to the auditorium when the bell rang.

Walking side by side, I couldn't keep myself from glancing over at him. I noticed he was a whole head taller than me. I also took in how he walked—head down, shoulders slightly hunched over, one hand in a pocket. His strides were long though, and I had to speed walk a little to keep up with him.

As we entered the auditorium, a blond man with a British accent up on the stage said, "Come, children! Fill in the first two rows."

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Kairi waving me over and plopped down in the chair next to her. Zexion hesitated a moment, but then came and sat in the seat on the other side of me as the man on the stage, who introduced himself as our teacher, Mr. Luxord Princeton, began his very dramatic lecture on the beginnings of theater and some of the basics of acting.

"Now," he said when he had concluded his lecture, "let me give you kids a tour of backstage." We followed after him as he proceeded to show us backstage, which consisted of dressing rooms, a costume room, and a prop storage closet.

"Oh, and one more thing before I forget," he said as we came back to the stage, and pointed up. We looked up and saw a catwalk above us. "You guys are prohibited from using the catwalk unless you are assigned to work the lighting for a production. And if I catch anyone else up there, there'll be bloody hell to pay. Have I made myself clear?"

As we all nodded, the bell rang, signaling our freedom. "See you, Naminé," Zexion said as we walked out of the auditorium. He headed to the exit, and I stood there, watching his retreating form. I opened my mouth to say good-bye, but I chickened out at the last second and snapped my jaw shut.

Sighing and mentally hitting myself, I made my way down to the band room. As I turned the corner, I saw the flute and piccolo players—one of whom I recognized as Yuffie from physics class—practicing their part for the biggest number of the half-time show. After only a few hours, I had to say they sounded pretty good. But, even through the sounds of their beautiful harmonization and synchronicity, I could pick out a distinct harmony that I knew for a fact did not belong in that song.

_As Demyx would say_, I thought, _sounds like somebody's doodling._ My definition of doodling was different from Demyx's definition of the word though. Doodling to me, like it does to most people, is defined as drawing random things in your notebook. Doodling in Demyx's vocabulary however is the playing any music during class, practices or performances that is irrelevant to what you should be playing or just plain unnecessary, like an impromptu solo. And someone was definitely doodling.

"Yuffie, play the right part, dammit!" one of them shouted.

Shaking my head, I walked into the band room. I scanned the faces in the room and saw Olette. Now in a tank top and a pair of shorts, she was sitting in front of the piano on its bench, twirling her baton in between her fingers.

"Hey, Naminé," she said as I approached.

"Hey," I said, pulling up an empty chair and sitting down. Putting my bag down, Olette asked me a question that caught me off guard.

"So, what's going on between you and Zexion?"

"Huh?"

"What's going on between you and Zexion?" she repeated. "C'mon, tell me."

"W-why would something be going on between us?" I stammered, my cheeks flushing.

"Because you're the only person I've ever seen him bother to talk to." I shot her a skeptical look. "No, really. He's been a complete loner ever since he moved here to live with his uncle a few years back."

"Really?" I asked.

She nodded. "I've heard a rumor it has to do with his parents."

"What happened to them?"

"I don't really know," she said with shrug. "No one knows the official story, but I bet whatever happened must've been terribly tragic for him to completely isolate himself.

"Anyway, he's always had his nose stuck in a book, and the only time I've ever heard him speak was when a teacher called on him in class. The only explanation that I can come up with for why he's opening up a bit to you at the moment, and I know it sounds crazy, is that, one way or another, you've sparked his interest enough for him to come out of isolation."

I sat there for a moment, quietly letting my brain absorb this new information. Honestly, it felt like my heartstrings were being plucked at like the strings of a guitar, and I felt like I could empathize with him because I had lost my parents too. I remembered that when my parents had died it had taken me a much longer time (almost two years actually) to accept it than it had for Demyx. During that point in my life I had lost a lot of weight, constantly had nightmares, spent most of my time alone and had done horribly in my academics. My art had even sucked. When I had come to terms with it, I felt better, and I went on with my life.

_Maybe that's it_, I thought. _If that's the case, and something really had happened to parents, then maybe isolating himself was his way of trying to cope, and he's just recently come to term with it._

_Or maybe he's just shy guy who's just starting to come out of his shell_, a voice in my head argued.

Either way I looked at it, Olette's idea that _I_ interested him enough to come out of his shell seemed a little far-fetched. It would have worked well for part of the premise for a romance novel, but reality didn't really work like that. Still, it was a thought.

"Hello?" Olette said, waving her in front of my face. "Naminé, you in there?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just a little spacey, that's all."

Walking out of what looked like it would be his office, Demyx took to his podium. His sitar slung across his back, he shouted, "Band!" Everything went quiet at the sound of what I knew to be his signal for silence. He smiled. "Well, you certainly are promising bunch."

His eyes scanned the room until they landed on me. "Nami, you stay here and decorate," he said, and I nodded. "The rest of you, we're going outside for drill practice. Everyone, to the practice lot!"

The band filed out the door after Demyx, and then I was alone. Looking about the room, I decided to start with the walls. Using a roll of tape, I started sticking little paper instruments with names written on them in permanent marker to the wall by their instrument section. Once that was finished, I decided to move on to the bulletin boards. I got the stapler and began decorating the boring, cork boards. I was almost finished with the second to last board when I ran out of staples.

"Shoot," I said aloud, and made my way over to the supply closet. "Hopefully Demyx remembered to buy an extra box of staples."

I looked through the supply closet for several minutes before I noticed a box of staples sitting on the edge of the top shelf. Knowing that even if I tried jumping I'd never be able to reach it, I grabbed the nearest chair and climbed onto it.

Just I was about to grab the box, the sound of a chilling piano chord filled the silent air, making me freeze on the spot. How had someone come in without me hearing them? I hadn't heard the door open or footsteps or anything.

Finding the ability to move again, I turned to look at the piano. Sitting there in front of it, fingers gliding gracefully over the ivory keys, was a guy—another student from the look of his white shirt, green tie and black pants. I could see his muscles were toned as my eyes traveled from his hands to his arms. He had long silver hair that reminded me of a river under the light of the full moon, his bangs hanging down over eyes.

My eyes drifted back down to his hands, my ears taking in the song they played with the compression of each key. It sounded as beautiful as it did sorrowful. It felt like my heartstrings were being yanked at as I listened. I'd never heard a song that had truly moved me to the verge of tears.

Well…at least not until that moment.

As he struck the final chord, I felt a tear run down my cheek. Sniffling, I wiped the tear away, released a breath I hadn't even realized I'd been holding and clapped. He definitely deserved a round of applause for playing such a beautiful piece.

He looked up at me and I almost swooned as I got a good look at his face. He had the face you normally expect to see on a male supermodel. However that wasn't what had grabbed my attention. What my eyes were really drawn to were his own eyes. They were a captivating, vibrant aqua green.

As his aqua green orbs stared back into my blue ones, I saw surprise in them. I tried looking for other emotions in those eyes, but all I could see was…the wall?

I blinked, and, looking him over again, I realized I could see through him to the opposite wall, like he was some sort of hologram. I looked back at his face to see that he was still staring at me intently.

I felt the color draining from my face, and a lump caught in my throat. My heart was pounding heavily in my ears. Was I really seeing what I thought I was seeing?

Finding my voice, I managed to ask in quiet voice, "What…what are you?"

With one corner of his lips lifting up, he looked away, and then…

He was gone.

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><p>Hope you enjoyed it! Feel free to review!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Touched up version of chapter 5! Not much different from the original, but that's okay.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story. Some Nights is by FUN.

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><p>Too freaked out to stay in that room any longer, I jumped off the chair and bolted for the door, clumsily knocking over a music stand in the process. I pushed the door open and tore down the hallway and ran out the exit. Running out into the afternoon sun, I looked over my shoulder to see if <em>he<em> was following me, but I saw no one.

Then, my body collided with something solid. Stumbling, I looked up and saw I had run in to Demyx, who had a look of worry etched upon his face.

"Nami, you okay?" he asked, grabbing my shoulders to help steady me. "You look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong?"

"I…" I began breathlessly, but then I hesitated a moment. What was I supposed to tell him, that I really had seen a ghost? Demyx was what people would call a skeptic. He'd sooner think I was crazy than believe me, so I came up with a lie that he would definitely believe. Seeing the band staring at me from behind him, I whispered, "A raven hit the window and I freaked out."

Removing one hand from my shoulders to ruffle my hair, he said quietly, as if he were a father talking to his frightened child, "It's okay. No big, mean black bird is going to hurt you while I'm around." Turning me around, he put one arm around my shoulders comfortingly. "C'mon, let's get you back inside."

Like a scared child, I let him lead me back inside. When we walked into the band room, my eyes went straight to the piano. There was no one occupying its bench. Tearing my eyes away from the piano, I looked around the rest of the room. The ghost was nowhere in sight. I relaxed a bit, and Demyx gave me a reassuring pat on my head before going to his office.

As everyone else began walking into the room, I looked over to where my bag was, near the piano. Eyeing the piano warily, I made my way over to it with quick, cautious steps, slung my bag over my shoulder hurriedly, and backed away from the piano.

Olette and Pence came over to me, concern in their eyes. Olette asked, "What happened?"

"It was nothing," I said hastily, "don't worry about it." They looked at me dubiously, but neither one of them pressed any further as they went to gather their own things.

Then a hand landed on my shoulder, and I practically jumped out of my skin. Spinning around, I saw Demyx, who looked kind of startled himself, standing there with his sitar case. "You sure you're okay, Nami?" he asked.

Looking down at my feet and rubbing my arm out of embarrassment, I said, "Yeah, I guess I'm just feeling a little jumpy…"

With an understanding smile on his face, he said, "Let's get you home."

~o~

As Demyx drove us home after we left the train station, I sat in my seat quietly, just like I had on the shuttle. Staring out the window, my thoughts drifted to the ghost. My encounter with him had left me chilled to the bone, but, despite myself, I found myself wondering about him. There were so many questions that were swimming through my head: Who was he? How had he died? When had he died? Was he real, or had I imagined him?

I shook my head. I honestly didn't want to think about him right now.

"Nami," Demyx said, his voice bringing me out of my thoughts, "are you listening?"

"I'm sorry," I said. "What were you saying?"

"I asked how your day went."

"Oh," I said, recalling my day. "It was good." Mostly.

"Did you make any friends?"

Thinking of Zexion and the others, I smiled. "Yeah," I said. Granted, I had only just met them, but I already felt comfortable around all of them. And that was saying something, because I never felt comfortable around new people.

"That's good," he said.

We pulled up to the mansion at that moment and Demyx put the car in park. Grabbing my bag, I got out of the car and went inside. Demyx followed after me as I headed upstairs to my room and I silently hoped he would start talking again, because thoughts of a certain ghost boy were beginning to fill my head.

As if right on cue, Demyx asked as we reached the top step, "So, do you have any homework tonight?"

"I have to read five chapters of this novel Ms. Lockhart gave us for Friday," I said, walking to my door.

"What's it called?"

"_The Jungle_," I said, and Demyx's expression became one of a mix of disgust and horror. "What?"

"You'll see what when you read it." He went to his room and quickly shut the door, leaving me alone in the hallway with my thoughts, thoughts of _him_.

Trying to distract myself, I went into my room, shut the door and began looking through my clothes to try and find something comfy to wear. After settling on a Cheshire cat t-shirt and a pair jean shorts and changing into them, I grabbed _The Jungle_, kicked off my shoes, tossed my socks carelessly onto the floor, flopped onto my bed and curled myself up in my blanket to read.

I hadn't even gotten through the first paragraph when a certain aqua-green-eyed, silver-haired, extremely hot ghost boy boarded my train of thought. Furrowing my eyebrows in frustration, I tried to concentrate on the book, but it was a futile effort. This guy kept popping into my head every other paragraph, and it was not because the book was boring me, either (though I had to admit the writing was drier than a desert). No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get him out of my head.

Sighing in defeat, I shut the book mid-chapter and set it down on my desk. How was I supposed to focus with this ghost constantly invading my thoughts? I needed something—anything—to distract me long enough so that I could temporarily push him to the back of my mind.

Then, I thought of something: TV. And there was one right downstairs in the entertainment room.

Eager to watch some distracting, mind-numbing TV, I headed for my door, but as I reached for the door handle, I froze, remembering something else that was also in the entertainment room.

A beautiful, ebony grand piano.

I sighed. _Well, that idea's out_, I thought. _Now what do I do?_

Hearing my cellphone vibrate from inside my bag, I took it out of one of the inner pockets I had put it in and checked who was calling. Seeing it was Selphie, I quickly flipped my phone open. "Hey, Selph," I said, happy for the distraction. "What's up?"

"Hey, Nami!" Selphie chirped. "I just got home from cheerleading practice, and I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm doing okay. How was school?"

"Boring as usual—no fights, no drama, nothing." She sighed and then, in much more chipper tone, said, "Anyway, how's Twilight Town High? Tell me all about it."

I told her about my teachers, Zexion and all my other new friends (at which she gasped and said that the world was coming to an end), and the fight between Hayner and Seifer. I was thinking of telling her about the ghost, but I decided against it when I remembered that she, like Demyx, was a skeptic.

"So, this Zexion guy," Selphie said, "is he hot?"

"You want me to send you a picture of him?" I asked.

"You got a picture of him?" she asked, astonished.

"Yeah. Well, a sketch of him anyway."

"Send it to me."

"Okay, give me a minute," I said, getting my sketchbook out, taking a picture of my sketch of Zexion with my cellphone and sending it to her.

"Ooh! He's cute," she said when she got the picture a bit later. "You thinking of asking him out?"

"No, not yet at least," I replied.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know if he feels the same. If I find out that he does, I might ask him out."

"You _might_?"

"Well, you know me. I'll probably chicken out at the last second and ask him something stupid instead."

It was silent on Selphie's end for a second before she said, "Yeah, that definitely sounds like you, Nami."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Selph," I said sarcastically. "Besides, I'm fine just being friends with him for now anyway."

Just then, there was a knock at my door. "Miss Naminé," the butler's voice said from the other side of the door, "dinner is ready." Then he left, his feet making the floorboards creak.

"Hey, Selph, I got to go eat. I'll talk to you later," I said.

"Okay. Bye!" she said, and hung up.

Putting my cellphone on the bedside table, I headed downstairs to the dining room. Demyx and Great-uncle Ansem were already seated when I walked in, and I felt the old grump's eyes glaring at me as I took my own seat.

Putting food—roast beef and mashed potatoes all covered in homemade gravy and a bread roll—on my plate as the platters were passed around, my mind wandered back to the silver-haired ghost. I picked at my food as he played that melancholic, haunting song in my head, its beautiful sound echoing around the inside of my skull. It took a lot to hold back the tears that were starting gather in my eyes.

"Naminé," Great-uncle Ansem said sternly, "don't play with your food; it's unbecoming of a young lady."

Insulting him in my head with a few choice, unladylike words, I proceeded to eat my meal silently. As we ate, I could feel Great-uncle Ansem's eyes watching me. Wanting to get away from the old man's scrutinizing gaze, I finished my meal quickly and excused myself from the table.

Once I was back in my room, I picked up my sketchbook, which was still open to my sketch of Zexion. Folding the page along the perforated line, I tore it out and got a few pieces of tape and stuck it to my wall, right next to the sketch I drew last night.

With a smile, I thought, _Time to draw a new sketch._

Setting my sketchbook down on the desk, I went over to my bookshelf and got a mechanical pencil from the pencil mug I had on my art supply shelf. I went back over to my desk and sat down. I pondered about what I should draw, my eyes staring down at the blank page. A set of gorgeous aqua-green eyes came to mind, and, with a sigh, I began to draw the ghost, thinking that maybe if I drew him my thoughts of him would be put to rest.

Hunched over my sketchbook in deep concentration, I guided my pencil over the page as I drew the moment of when he looked up at me from his seat on the piano bench when I applauded him for his song. I took great care in making sure I got everything—the layers in his hair, the surprised look in those beautiful eyes of his, the toned muscles of his arms, the creases in his uniform, his long, graceful, see-through fingers settled on the piano's ivory keys—just right, like I had with my sketch Zexion's profile. The lines I would've normally erased due to overlapping, I left alone; they helped show that you could see through him.

When I finished, I sat up straight and examined my work. This sketch was pretty much on par with the one I did of Zexion, maybe even a little better. Now all I had to do was add some color to it.

_Which I'll do tomorrow_, I thought with a stretch.

Hopping down from my stool, I padded over to my bag and fished around inside it until I found my iPod. I put my earbuds in and put my iPod on shuffle. As the first song—Some Nights—started playing, I lay down on my bed and relaxed as I tried to listen to it.

But even as I listened to the pop song, there was another song I could hear over top of it. A song that made salty tears prick at the corners of my eyes.

A dead boy's song.

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><p>Hope you liked it! Feel free to leave a review!<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Hi, guys! I'm sorry this chapter took so long to write, but I was also reworking all of the other chapters of this story at the same time too. And I apologize to those of you who got your inboxes filled up with all the updates. But if you feel like it, for those of you who have been following since at least chapter 5, you can go back read the touched up chapters. They are just better written and include some more details, one of which will clear up something in the story.

I also added a cover for this story! The credit for the cover goes to a super awesome friend of mine who worked very hard on it. I apologize if it's a little hard to see.

Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story.

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><p>Crap.<p>

That one simple word described exactly how I felt when I crawled out of bed the next morning. After performing my nightly rituals and going to bed, I had cried myself to sleep (and had only managed to get two hours of sleep at that (no thanks to that stupid ghost and that stupid, heart-breaking song of his)). And whenever I cry myself to sleep I always wake up with a headache, a stuffy nose and a sore throat, just like I did that morning.

I went to the bathroom to take something for my headache and some nose drops to clear my sinuses. Putting the medications away and looking in the mirror, I saw that I looked as bad as I felt. My eyes were red and puffy and bloodshot and surrounded by dark circles.

_I look awful_, I thought as I stared at my reflection. Sighing, I headed back to my room and applied some concealer around my eyes, hoping to hide my discolored flesh.

After grabbing my things—sketchbook, cellphone, novel and gym clothes—I headed downstairs to the kitchen to make my lunch (no way was I going to get in line again for slop, or worse). I walked in and looked around to see chefs busily making breakfast. My shyness getting the better of me, instead of asking one of them to make my lunch, I decided to make it myself. I grabbed a brown paper bag and filled it with random food stuffs until I thought I had enough to eat.

Looking at the clock, I saw that I didn't have enough time to eat breakfast, so I decided to skip it and, leaving my things in the foyer, I ran back upstairs to quickly brush my teeth. I came back down to the foyer to find Demyx, who was dressed in a blue shirt, his favorite fish-patterned tie (yes, he had more than one), and black slacks, ready to go and we drove to the train station.

While on the shuttle, Demyx kept fussing over me. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Dem," I said, "I'm—"

"Because if you're not, you can always just go to the nurse and have me take you home."

"Dem, I'm fine, really."

"Well, okay," he said, ruffling my hair. "I just worry about you, Nami. That's all."

"I know…"

When we finally got to our stop, we went across the street to the school and gave each other a quick goodbye hug before going our separate ways. Only stopping to put my lunch in my locker, I went to my homeroom class, which went by without incident.

I quickly headed down the hall to Axel's classroom when the bell rang. I walked in to find Axel writing on the dry-erase board behind his desk. At the top of the board was the word Cubism. Looked to me like we would be learning about Picasso.

"Hey, squirt," he said without even turning to look at me.

"What, do you have eyes in the back of your head?" I asked with a giggle.

Axel chuckled. "Teaching can do that to a person sometimes." He turned to me and his eyes filled with concern. "You okay?"

I slapped on my best fake smile. "I'm fine. Just a little tired."

"Well, all right," he said, his tone telling me that he was not entirely convinced, but he didn't prod any further. "If you feel like you can't keep your eyes open, just lay your head down and take a nap. I'm sure what we're covering today is nothing new to you."

Nodding, I went to where I sat with Zexion yesterday and folded my arms on the table and rested my head on them. I shut my eyes for what only seemed like a moment, but I opened them to find Axel in the middle of his lesson. I glanced over at Zexion and saw that he was scribbling away in his notebook.

Looking toward the window, I allowed my mind to wander, think about random things. But it didn't take long for the ghost's haunting song to get back into my head again.

I mentally groaned and lay my head down on the table. Honestly, I didn't know how much more of that song I could take. And I wasn't about to go to the band room after school again just to have another run-in with that ghost. It wasn't that I feared him per say, but I was still pretty shaken up by the whole encounter. I needed an excuse to stay away. But what?

Then, I had an idea. Maybe I could chill here with Axel? Surely he wouldn't mind.

When the bell rang, I waited for everyone to clear out before going up to Axel. "Hey, Axel," I said, getting his attention, "would it be okay if I came here to chill after school while I wait for Demyx to finish with band practice?"

"Yeah, sure," he said with a smile. "See you later, squirt."

~o~

_Okay, whoever invented dodge ball should never have been born_, I thought as I entered the locker room after gym class, my face stinging where it had been hit by a ball…hard. Even though that nap I had taken in Axel's class had helped me stay awake that morning, I had still had a pretty off day (which none of my friends, other than Zexion, seemed to notice) and my lack of sleep was catching up with me, because I wanted nothing more than to find a clean piece of flooring and curl up in a ball and sleep.

After I quickly changed back into my uniform, the bell rang and I went to my history class. Time passed by slowly as Mr. Eraqus lectured on about some war, and I found my mind wondering back to the ghost boy.

That's when I remembered that I never did finish the picture I had drawn of him the day before. Even though I didn't want to think about him, I felt that I should finish my sketch of him. I hated the thought of not finishing a sketch, and his was no exception.

Quietly, I pulled out my sketchbook and colored pencils, and I began adding some color to the page, keeping in mind the whole translucent effect I was going for. As I shaded in the page, I had to say it was turning out pretty good.

As I started coloring in one of his eyes, Mr. Eraqus called, "Miss Strife."

_Uh-oh_, I thought as I looked up from my sketchbook. And I saw that not only were his eyes on me, but so were those of the rest of the class.

"Y-yes?" I stammered.

"Since you've been so dutifully taking notes this whole time," he said, "would you mind summarizing my lecture for the class?"

"Uh…"

"That's what I thought," he said. "Now, pay attention." As he continued on with his lecture, I sank down in my seat and waited for the bell to ring.

I spent the rest of the day watching the clocks, waiting for the last bell to ring. I couldn't wait to spend time with Axel. When it did, I waved bye to Zexion and ran for Demyx's room. I needed to tell him where I would be or he would have possibly started freaking out (he's like an overprotective parent that way). He was handing out drill sheets when I got there.

"Hey, Dem," I said when I got to him, "I'm going to be chilling with Axel in his classroom, okay?"

With a smile, he said, "Okay. Have fun, Nami."

I gave a quick wave to Olette and Pence and then headed to Axel's classroom. When I got there, Axel was nowhere to be seen. I walked over to his desk to find a folded piece of paper labeled **Squirt **Axel's handwriting. I unfolded it. It read:  
>At a meeting. Be back in a jiff! -Axel<p>

Deciding to make myself comfortable for the time being, I pulled a chair up to his desk and got settled. I pulled out my sketchbook and found that its cover was folded back. And the ghost boy was staring at me with that surprised look that I had drawn upon his face. I stared at my sketch, torn as to whether I should finish it or start a new piece. I mean, that ghost was the reason I had come here in the first place.

After staring at it for a few more seconds I sighed in defeated and pulled out my colored pencils to finish the job. All the while as I was shading it in, his song played in my head, like it had all day, making me work faster, thinking that the sooner I finished it, the sooner I could put this whole thing behind me.

I was almost finished when I heard footsteps. I turned to see Axel walking through the door. "Hey, squirt," he said, and ruffled my hair.

"Hey," I said.

Axel grabbed his chair and scooted it closer to me. "So, what're you working on there, kiddo?"

I was hesitant, but only for a second. It wasn't like I was drawing stick figures. I moved my hand off the paper for him to get a better look. He slid it closer to himself, and I saw his eyes become really wide as soon as he looked at the picture. He stared at it a little longer before he in turn asked me something that made my eyes widen.

"You knew Riku?"

Riku? I glanced at the ghost boy in my sketch, knowing full well he must've been who Axel was talking about. "Uh, no, I, uh," I stammered out, trying come up with something to tell Axel other than what really happened, "I remember seeing his face somewhere around school." I wasn't lying, technically.

"Ah," Axel replied with a nod. "You must've seen his picture on the memorial plaque outside the main office."

"Oh, yeah, that's right. I remember now," I said, jumping at the easy out Axel gave me. I looked down at ghost boy again, suddenly very curious about his story. "So, who was he anyway?"

"His name was Riku Crescent. He was Principal Crescent's youngest son," Axel told me. "He was a smart kid and an extremely talented pianist. He was also captain of the blitzball team 'til he decided to focus more on his piano-playing. Kid had a full ride to a university majoring in music." He sighed. "Such a shame."

"What happened to him?" I asked, hanging on Axel's every word.

"It was couple of months back, a few days before school had let out for the summer. He jumped off the roof of the school and committed suicide. He's the reason they installed the fences around the roof."

I sat there, letting this new piece of information sink in. Maybe it was just me, but it just didn't make sense to me. If the guy had a definite future ahead of him, why would he just end his life like that? Had he been depressed or something like a lot of artists and musicians?

"Why?" I asked.

Axel shook his head and shrugged. "No one knows, not even his dad. That morning he had seemed perfectly happy, like everything was right with the world. And then…." He trailed off, shaking his head again. "No one saw it coming."

I nodded, my brain trying to piece it together. Surely there had to have been some sort of sign.

"It's funny how you knew he played the piano, though," Axel said, still gazing at the picture.

"Lucky guess?" I lied with a shrug.

"I'll say," he said, and then he changed the subject. We chatted, but all the while I thinking about the ghost boy—no, Riku. That was his name, so it was only fair that that was what I called him.

After a while, Axel got up and went over to the windows. "Let's see how band practice is coming along," he said and opened one of the windows. The band had just ended playing one of their halftime show songs, and we heard Demyx say, "Okay, guys, one more time from the top and we'll be done for the day!"

"Sounds like that's my cue to skidattle," I said, grabbing my sketchbook.

"See you tomorrow, kiddo," Axel said, coming back over just to give me a goodbye hair ruffle.

I made my way down the stairs to the first floor. As I approached the band room I could hear Riku's song again and my pulse quickened. I reached the door and, my curiosity eating away at me, I threw it open.

The music stopped dead.

And Riku was nowhere to be seen.

Then, I felt a cold sort of surge go through me, like a quick burst of wind coming out of the band room at me. I spun around then, and there he was, staring at me with those beautiful eyes of his, and I stared back. We stood there like that (yes, stood; he was a full-body apparition) for a while. And then I blinked and he was gone again.

Looking around the hallway, I saw him leaning against the wall next to the stairwell, his arms folded across his chest. He just stood there, giving me this look that said well?-aren't-you-coming?

I followed after him, my curiosity driving me to do so. By the time I reached the stairwell he had disappeared on me again. Looking up at the top of the flight of stairs, I saw him standing there, waiting. Waiting for me. I went up the stairs and he disappeared again, only to end up at the top of the next flight of stairs.

I followed him up the stairs to the top floor. This time when he disappeared I found leaning against a locker in the fourth floor hallway. When I got to the locker he was gone again, and he didn't reappear when I looked around this time.

I turned back to the locker and examined it. Locker 927. It was just like every other locker in the school—green with a built-in combination lock. I assumed he wanted me to open it; I mean, there isn't much else you can do with a locker other than open it, store your crud inside it, and close it. I didn't know the combination, so that was out. I tried just simply opening it, but that didn't work. I tried hitting it a couple of times, because sometimes that works, but it didn't work either.

Now I was agitated. Riku had just led me all the way up here to this stupid locker and I couldn't even open it. Was there an actual reason that he had led me here? Or had he just been messing with me and sent me on a wild goose chase for shits and giggles? Well, if that was the case, I most certainly wasn't laughing.

"Squirt, what're you doing?" I heard someone ask to my left. I turned to see Axel with a questioning expression on his face.

"I-I thought I saw someone run up here from downstairs and I came to investigate," I lied. I wasn't about to tell him that I had followed Riku—the dead boy we had been talking about not even an hour ago—up here to this locker. He'd probably tell Demyx to take me to the doctor and have them check to see if I was schizophrenic.

I could tell that Axel didn't believe from the way he was looking at me. I didn't blame; I wouldn't have believed me either. He didn't ask any more questions, though, and led me back down the stairs. But not before I sent one last glare at locker 927.

The band members were starting to leave as we got to the band room. When Demyx came out with his sitar case, he said, "Hey, guys. You have fun?"

"Yep," Axel and I said in unison.

Demyx chuckled. "Glad to hear it."

After we each gave Axel a goodbye hug, we exited the building and started making our way toward the train station. As Demyx went on and talked about how well the band was doing, I had a number of questions in my head: What had that whole chase been about? Had that been his locker? Did he want me to open it? Had he really committed suicide? If so, why? If not, what really happened?

I was determined to get these questions answered one way or another. Even if I had to confront Riku himself.

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><p>I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave a review if you like!<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Hello, readers!

I'd like to thank everyone who read/favorited/subscribed/reviewed. You guys make me so happy!

I apologize if this chapter is a little short and for any grammatical and/or spelling errors I have made during this and did not notice while I was proof reading.

Anyway, on with the show!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story.

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><p>The next day I was sitting in drama class, half paying attention to what Luxord was lecturing on about. Something about improvisation. My gaze kept flicking to the clock, as if me watching it would make the glowing red numbers change faster. I just wanted to get down to the band room so I could finally figure out exactly what the whole situation with Riku was.<p>

I had thought about going on the internet and looking up information about ghosts last night, but I figured a ghost himself would obviously have better understanding of what he was than any living person would, so I settled on winging it for now, hoping to get some information when, not if, I talked to him.

After several more excruciatingly long minutes, the bell finally rang. "All right, class," Luxord said as we began packing up our stuff, "that's it for today. Tomorrow we'll put what we learned today to the test with some improv exercises."

"Joy," Zexion muttered under his breath in that way he used when he was being sarcastic, and I giggled. My thoughts exactly.

I quickly waved bye to Zexion and Kairi and made my way out the auditorium's side door to the band room. As soon as I walked in, I found Olette and Pence near the piano and joined them in chatter until Demyx came out of his office and began herding everyone outside for practice.

"See you guys later," I said with a smile, waving to my brother and Olette and Pence and the rest of the band kids as they headed outside for band practice. I waited until the door shut with a click behind the last of them before I dropped the act, the smile falling from my face.

_It's time_, I thought.

I stood in the middle of the now empty band room, my palms a little sweaty. I clenched my hands into fists. _No_, I thought, _I'm not psyching myself out. Not now._

The day before I had gone on a wild goose chase after Riku, and I had spent the rest of yesterday and all of today just waiting for this moment, just waiting for this chance to talk to Riku and possibly get answers to some of my questions. The last thing I wanted to do was to turn tail and run (like I did every other time I tried to talk to someone because my shyness). I had been feeding and stoking my courage like a fire the whole time; I wasn't about to let this tiny water droplet of nervousness put it out.

I glanced toward the window. The sky was cloudy and gray. If it began raining my time to try and contact Riku would be cut short (Demyx would herd the band kids back inside because the rainwater would ruin the pads on the woodwind instruments' keys). But it wasn't like I had to perform a séance just to get him to appear; he was obviously quite capable of doing that on his own.

_It's now or never_, I thought. My clenched fists were shaking, and I willed them to stop. _I can do this_, I thought, and I took a deep breath.

Inhale.

Exhale.

_Okay_, I thought, _now I'm ready._

"All right, Riku," I said, hands on my hips, trying to give off an air of certainty and confidence (this was no time to come off as timid) as I cast my gaze about the room, "where are you?"

I was answered with silence.

Turning my back to the piano, I said, "I know you're here. Show yourself!"

More silence.

_What gives?_ _He had no problem showing himself to me yesterday_, I thought._ Maybe he's taking a nap…. Do ghosts need naps? Guess that's another question I'll have to ask._

I pondered it over a little more. Maybe he was in another part of the school. I mean, he had led me up to the fourth floor. He could just as well have been anywhere else in the school at that point.

Then, a loud, low stab chord came from the piano behind me, practically making me jump out of my skin, my heart leaping into my throat. I spun around to see Riku sitting at the piano, arms crossed, a smirk on his face as he looked back at me with those gorgeous aqua green eyes of his.

I glared at him. Jerk. An incredibly hot jerk.

Riku chuckled. "Sorry," he said. "Couldn't resist." He got up from the piano bench and began walking toward the door. "Well, come on. Let's go."

Suddenly irked by the fact that he thought I would comply just like that without an explanation, I glared at his retreating form and, with such boldness that I surprised myself, I said, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold it." Riku looked back at me, obviously surprised by my reaction. Crossing my arms, I continued, "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what your deal is."

Obviously offended, he glared back at me. "What my deal is?"

"Yeah. Like yesterday, leading me up to that locker. What was that all about?"

He gave me an exasperated look. "You were supposed to open it."

"Without the combination?" I challenged, quirking an eyebrow (geez, where had this bold me been hiding when I had needed her so many other times in my life?).

That gave him pause for a moment, and then he facepalmed himself. He sighed and ran his hand through his silver hair. "Sorry," he said apologetically, and his eyes were telling me that he meant it. "Guess I didn't think that the whole way through."

My agitation quickly dissipated; I just couldn't stay annoyed with a guy when he seemed that sincere, let alone just admitted he was at fault. "It's fine. I just want to know what's going on. That's all."

He nodded and came back over to me. "Well," he said, crossing his legs and sit-floating in midair, "you should probably sit down. This'll probably take a bit of time to explain."

I grabbed the nearest chair, pulled it over, and sat down. Looking at my skirt, I saw there were a few wrinkles in it and smoothed them out. When I looked up at Riku, I saw that he had his chin in his hand, his elbow resting on his leg, his eyes trained on me. I brushed it off as him waiting until I was comfortable and gave him my undivided attention.

"So," he said, coughing to clear his throat, "where do you want me to begin?"

"How did you, uh," I began and then hesitated. Is there really a nice way to ask someone how they really died? I mean, for all I knew, it could have been a touchy subject for him.

"How did I die?" he finished for me.

"Uh, yeah," I said with a nod. "Is it true what they say?"

"What do they say?"

"They, uh…" I said, fidgeting with my hands, "they say you committed suicide."

His expression darkened. "That's what they think? That I committed suicide?" His voice was dripping with bitterness. I just nodded. He turned his see-through head and scowled at the wall. "Idiots."

"What really happened?" I asked soothingly.

Riku gave me a sideways glance and then his gaze flitted back to the wall.

"I was murdered."

The weight of his words hit me like a ten ton truck. I had suspected as much, but hearing him actually say it struck me.

After a moment's hesitation (where had the bold me run away to?), I asked, "How?"

Riku turned back to me, his expression now calm. "That day," he said, "I found a note without a name on it taped to my locker telling me to go to the roof right after school. It didn't strike me as strange because I had gotten plenty of notes like that telling me to meet someone somewhere after school."

This didn't strike me as strange either; he definitely looked like the kind of guy who, like Sora and Roxas, had had every girl in the school after him. He had probably averaged at least fifty notes a year from secret admirers when he was still alive.

"Anyway," he continued, "I went up to the roof after school and didn't see anyone when I got there, so I went over to the edge of the roof to get a view of the town while I waited.

"Then I heard someone run up behind me. I was about to turn around when they rammed into my back and, well…you know the rest."

As I let what he told me sink in, a thought occurred to me. Voicing it, I asked, "But isn't there a place we're supposed to cross over to when we die?" I had always believed there was a place that our souls went to after we died.

"Well, yeah. I'd like to think we do at least. Why?"

"Well, you're still here," I said. "What's holding you back?"

He shifted his gaze to the window. "I won't be able to rest in peace until whoever is responsible for my death is brought to justice," he said. "As a ghost, however, I don't think I'll be able to do it…. At least," he said, looking at me with hope-filled eyes, "not without a little help."

I blinked at him in surprise. He wanted my help? I didn't really see how I could be of much use to him. I mean, there had to be someone more qualified for handling this sort of thing.

_I really do want to help him, though_, I thought, _even if I can only help just a bit._ I resolved to help him until we found someone qualified to handle this situation. Until then I'd help in whatever way I could.

I nodded. "What do you need me to do?"

"First, I need you to get the note I was telling you about for me," he said.

"Why?" I asked. "For fingerprints?"

"Kind of. It's more of an energy fingerprint."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Energy fingerprint? What was he talking about?

Obviously seeing my confusion, Riku went on and said, "I heard from this one TV show about psychic mediums that I had watched when I was still alive that, if a person's energy is strong enough or if a moment in time is…extremely dramatic, it leaves behind an imprint, or residual energy.

"Mediums can use residual energies to identify people. And this works on the residual energies of both the living and dead."

"But it's been months," I said. "How long do residual energies last?"

"According to that show, they don't fade, so it should be fine. If one was left behind, at least."

"Okay, so I get the note and then what? We take it to a psychic medium for identification?" I asked.

"Not quite," he answered. "Before that you got to find a sketch artist willing to cooperate, which'll probably be a difficult since no one really believes in ghost."

I smiled shyly. "That shouldn't be a problem, actually."

"Really?" he asked, his eyebrows rising a little. "You know someone? Who?"

I reached into my bag and pulled out my sketchbook. Flipping to my sketch of him and holding it out for him to look at. Skeptically, he floated closer to me to get a better view of my sketch. When he got a good look at it, he stared at it wide-eyed for a moment, his eyes wandering over the page. I felt a bout of nervousness come over me, but it quickly subsided when he broke in to a grin. "Guess we can skip that step then. You're hired," he said.

I nodded. Then, getting back to the matter at hand, I asked, "So, um, where is the note?"

"It's in my locker, the one that I led you to yesterday," he replied.

"Why haven't you tried opening it yourself?" I asked, then, thinking the question was a little too direct, added, "I mean you can play the piano, so you can obviously touch solid objects. Why can't you open your locker?"

He sighed. "I've tried. My guess is it has something to do with the energy."

"The energy?"

Riku nodded. "I've found that I can manipulate the energy in my surroundings to do things such as manifest and touch solid objects. This room, for whatever reason, has a lot of energy to draw off of; that's how I'm able to play the piano and talk to you and manifest."

I hummed and nodded. "And what about the rest of the school?" I asked.

"It's another story," he said with a sigh. "There isn't much energy to draw off of, so I'm very limited to what I can do without causing a disturbance."

Curious, I asked, "What do you mean by 'disturbance'?"

"Like cold spots, flickering lights, and other strange occurences. That sort of thing."

"Ah. So, how are you limited?" I questioned.

"When I speak my voice is barely a whisper, and manifesting is extremely difficult."

"Then how were you able to manifest yourself when you were leading me to the locker?" I asked.

"That was a lot harder than it looked, believe me," he said.

"But what about touching solid objects?"

Riku sighed. "My hands just pass right through them," he said sadly, looking at his hands before looking back to me. "That's why I need you to get that note for me."

Just then, rain began pounding on the windows. I turned to the windows to see the band kids were coming back inside. I didn't have much time left.

"They're coming back inside," I said, panicking. "Quick! Tell me—"

Riku was already gone by the time I turned back around. Why did this guy have to keep disappearing on me like this?

Demyx walked into the room a second later, looking somewhat waterlogged, and the band kids who followed in after him didn't look much better themselves. "Hey, Nami," he said. "Just give me a sec and we can head home."

As he headed to his office, I went to where Olette, Pence, and I had left our stuff. I had just slung my bag over my shoulder when something very lightly hit me my back. Turning around and looking down, I found a crumpled up paper ball at my feet. I looked in the direction it had come, my eyes scanning the faces for a smirk or mischievous pair eyes but not finding anyone who wasn't going about their own business.

I picked the paper ball up off the floor. I was reluctant to open it because, although writing insulting, vulgar notes and throwing them at people was so middle school, I wouldn't put it past people; high schoolers could still be pretty immature at times. I decided to take a look at it and throw it away if it was in any way insulting.

I uncrumpled it. Written on the paper was a set of three numbers, each preceded by either an L or an R. Below it, it read:

_It should be in one of the side pockets in my backpack._

_-Riku_

"What's that?" I heard Olette ask over my shoulder.

Even though I hadn't been paying too much attention to Luxord's lecture, I tried to use whatever my brain had subconsciously absorbed from it. Couldn't say what the note really was without having people look at me like I belonged at the funny farm. I feigned agitation. "Nothing," I said as I crumpled the paper back up and stuffed it into my bag. "Just proof that no matter where you go there'll always be people who enjoy putting others down."

Olette glared across the room. "How rude can people be! I mean, really."

"Well," Pence chimed in from beside her, "they aren't your friends, so what they say shouldn't matter, right?"

I gave them a smile, a shy one but a smile nonetheless. They sounded just like Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus.

Demyx came out of his office and waited until everyone left before locking up. As we headed to the station, Demyx asked, "So, how was school?"

"Good," I replied.

"Anything interesting happen?"

"Yeah." Glancing at the crumpled paper ball in my bag, I thought, _You have absolutely no idea._

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><p>So, they finally spoke to each other. Yay! Hope you guys enjoyed it. Leave a review to let me know what you think.<p>

Oh, and before I forget, Happy Valentine's Day!


	8. Chapter 8

Hey, readers!

First, I'd like to thank everyone who has favorited/subscribed/reviewed this story. You people make me so happy! ^-^

I apologize for any errors, but I really wanted to get this chapter up as soon as I possibly could.

Anyway, on with the show!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story.

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><p>I was sitting in third period the next day, thinking of how I was going to go about getting the note from Riku's locker without looking suspicious. I'd given it some thought last night after finishing up my sketch of Riku and I was still having the same argument with myself. I had worked out in my head that I was going to bust into his locker during lunch (I wanted as much time to talk to him as I could get (even if getting the note only took a few minutes)) and I had already worked out the details, but I didn't know if I should wait until everyone cleared the hall for lunch or if I should go while the hall was still full. None of my peers would see me acting suspicious if I waited until they were gone, but the security cameras in the halls would catch me. Now, which was worse? The student body thinking I was weird or the administration telling Demyx of my strange behavior?<p>

Now, I was always a goody-two-shoes; I never partied, drank, did drugs, had sex, or got into any kind of trouble, and I highly doubted Demyx would think I was causing trouble after this one occurrence. But I had a feeling getting involved with helping Riku track down his murderer would lead to me doing more suspicious things, and as my suspicious activities would begin to pile up, he might begin to become wary of me.

After a few more moments of thought I decided I'd make my move while everyone was still in the hallway. Most teenagers, me included, didn't tend to notice anything or anyone that didn't have something to do with them or their lives. They also shared lockers with their friends, and their materials for different subjects were spread throughout the school in various lockers (Olette had told me all about it yesterday), so it wouldn't be weird to see someone opening up a locker that wasn't theirs. But if someone did think I was up to something, being at the bottom of the high school social hierarchy wasn't anything new for me, anyway. I figured the worst they would think was that I was getting drugs out of the locker from an anonymous supplier or something like that. But I preferred retaining my image with Demyx over whatever they thought of me, no matter what their thoughts were.

When the bell rang, Hayner and I made our way to the stairwell. He split off from me when I reached my locker (his next class was on the third floor). Once he was a good distance away, I thought, _Time to put this plan into action._

I put my textbooks in my locker and shut it, leaving my lunch inside. I planned to use forgetting my lunch as an excuse to go back upstairs without Olette questioning it. I made my way down to the home ec. room and found Olette already seated at our table. "Hey," I greeted as I sat down.

With a wave, she said, "Hey." After a beat, she asked, "Where's your lunch?"

I blinked in fake-confusion and looked at my things beside my seat on the floor. "Oops," I said, trying to look slightly embarrassed. "Guess I forgot it in my locker. I'll just go grab it after class."

"Sounds like a plan."

_You don't know the half of it._

Class went by and soon the lunch bell rang. After telling Olette I'd see her in a bit, I headed upstairs to the top floor. The fourth floor hallway was crowded with various cliques of the teenage variety—preps, jocks, nerds, emo kids—and noisy with chatter and lockers being slammed shut. Typical high school corridor.

I made my way to locker 927, trying to act as if this was what I did on a normal basis. Upon reaching it, I pulled out the crumpled up note, read over the combination, and spun it in to the lock. Opening it, I saw the backpack sitting at the bottom of the locker. I pulled it out and checked the first side pocket.

Nothing.

Checking the other side pocket, I found a folded up piece of paper. I pulled it out and stared at it. It looked like just a plain piece of paper. It was hard to believe that something that seemed so insignificant had played a part in someone's murder.

Then, something occurred to me. Since his backpack was still inside his locker, that meant that no one had searched it for evidence. Why hadn't the police checked it for anything that could help in their case? Unless they had immediately ruled out murder, thinking that no one could possibly have murdered such an upstanding student.

Obviously, they didn't know teenagers.

My newest revelation still bothering me, I shoved the backpack back in the locker and shut it. Looking at the note again, I considered opening it, but I decided against it. I already generally knew what it said, and even though Riku had asked me to get it for him and had never specifically told me not to, it didn't feel right opening without his permission first.

"Naminé?"

At the sound of my own name I jumped. I spun around to see Zexion standing there. His face was neutral as ever, his eyes not betraying his expression. I tried not to gulp out of nervousness. Why, of all people, did he have to be the one to notice me?

"Z-zexion, h-hey," I stuttered out, shoving the papers into my bags, and if that didn't seem suspicious I don't know what did. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," he replied evenly, taking a quick glance at my bag before looking back at me.

"I-I was just getting something out of this locker," I answered, pointing to Riku's locker. Technically, it wasn't a lie, but wasn't the whole truth either. I just plastered on a smile and silently prayed that he didn't question it.

After a beat, he said, "If you say so."

Disaster avoided.

"What about you?" I asked.

"My fourth period is up here," he replied, and then he grabbed my wrist and began pulling me down the hallway. "Now come on. Let's get to lunch."

"O-okay," I said absentmindedly, staring at his hand enclosed around my wrist. His grip wasn't too tight or too loose. My wrist just kind of seemed to fit in his hand perfectly, and I felt myself blush a little.

"Naminé," Zexion said, getting my attention.

"Huh?"

"I asked if we needed to stop at your locker for anything," he said. We had just reached the third floor.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I just need to grab my lunch," I said, unwillingly pulling my wrist out of Zexion's hand. I headed down the hall to my locker, Zexion following behind me. Once I pulled my lunch out of my locker we headed down to the cafeteria, his hand encircling my wrist again.

When we walked into the cafeteria, it was as noisy as ever. I saw a few people look our way in the middle of their conversations and then whisper to their friends, who then turned to look at us as well. Avoiding meeting their stares, I looked at the back of Zexion's head. If he noticed, he wasn't giving any indication of it.

I looked over at our lunch table and saw the rest of the gang up to their usual activities—Olette and Pence: looking over drill sheets (such dedication!), Roxas and Hayner: going over plays, and Sora and Kairi: kissing and cuddling. Kairi, who was snuggled against Sora's side, spotted us and waved. Olette looked over her shoulder, spotted us too, and shot me a grin, causing me to blush some more.

Once we sat down, he let go of my wrist and started eating his lunch. I was about to start eating mine too when I felt my phone vibrate inside my bag. I pulled out my phone and saw that Olette had sent me a text message. Quirking an eyebrow, I opened the text, which read:

**Olette: Awww~! U guys r so cute 2gether!**

My cheeks heated up, and Olette nudged me with her elbow. I sent her a glare and sent her back a text.

**WE R NOT 2GETHER!**

When she got my text, she typed out another text, and then my phone vibrated. I checked the message.

**Olette: Doesn't mean u guys don't look cute 2gether though ;)**

"Are you guys texting while you're sitting right next to each other?" Roxas asked from across the table, causing me to look up at him from my phone.

Olette and I turned to look at each other and we busted out laughing for no particular reason. Once we got our breathing under control, we looked back at each other…and we busted out laughing again. I was laughing so hard my eyes were pinched shut and I ended up leaning on whoever was next to me for support. I cracked one eye open to see Roxas shaking his head.

"My friends are strange," he said.

Olette, now only giggling, said, "But that's why you love us."

Roxas just shook his head again, a small smile on his face.

After a few more seconds, I managed to get my laughter under control. I looked up at whoever I was leaning on and saw it was Zexion. "S-sorry," I said and pulled away from him. He just shrugged.

Olette had her hand over her mouth, muffling a laugh, and her shoulders were shaking. I elbowed her in the side, and she kept grinning.

It was all so normal, and I found it kind of funny because as of a few days ago my life had become anything but normal. But considering I didn't know how many more of these kinds of moments I would have, I'd take whatever normalcy I could get.

~o~

_Ring!_

"Alright, class," Luxord said, "splendid job today. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Well, that was fun!" Kairi chirped as we gathered up our things. She was talking about the improv exercise just made us perform. Or maybe it was because she got to spend a little time with Sora during class.

Backtracking a little bit, Luxord had put Zexion, Kairi, and I together in a group for the improv exercises, making us the only three-person group while all the other students had been split into groups of four. Just as our trio had been about to take to the stage, Sora had walked in with a note for Luxord from whoever he had for a teacher that period and had asked what we were doing. Luxord had told him we were in the middle of running improv exercises, and Sora had insisted on joining in on the fun. Luxord had said no, but Sora had been persistent, saying that as a veteran of Luxord's drama class that he could show us how to improvise properly. Luxord had relented eventually, assigning Sora to our trio to make it a quartet.

Sora, Kairi, Zexion, and I had each been given our roles—a knight, a princess, a warlock, and a witch, respectively—and then we had begun. It had gone a little something like this:

_The princess had been in love with the knight, the kingdom's best warrior, and they were to be married. However, the knight had not truly loved the princess back._

_Then, one day the witch and her companion, the warlock, had been out practicing spells in the woods. The warlock had gone away, but the witch had stayed behind to practice a little more. As she had been practicing a love spell, the knight had ridden up, and the witch had accidentally cast the spell upon the knight. The witch had temporarily cast a stop spell and had fled before the knight had had the chance to pursue her, leaving the knight to wonder where the object of his sudden affection had gone._

_The knight had returned to the princess and had tried to break off his engagement with her. Heartbroken, the princess had asked who had stolen her beloved's heart, and the knight had told her that he had fallen in love with the White Witch of the Forest, the witch's proper title. The princess had pleaded with the knight not to leave her, but he had refused to listen. The princess had then killed the knight, claiming that she had saved him from making a dreadful mistake._

_Moved by vengeance, the princess had plotted to take the witch's life, acquiring the court mage's amulet, which gave her power equal to witch's and protected her from any attacks, and had ventured out in to the woods. The princess had killed the witch and had gone home a heroine to her kingdom for killing a witch._

_Meanwhile, the warlock, who had discovered his dead friend, had been left to wallow in misery for the rest of his life._

So, long story short: The knight and witch were both dead, the princess continued living a wonderful life, and the warlock lived out the rest of his life in misery.

The whole thing sounded more morbid than fun, if you ask me.

After we had finished, Luxord had sent Sora back to class. Kairi had pouted over it but let it go after she and Sora had shared a quick kiss.

"If you say so," Zexion said as we headed out of the auditorium. His face was in a neutral expression now, but while we had been up on stage he had been so expressive. And he had such a nice smile.

_Naminé_, I thought, mentally trying to smack some sense into myself, _stop thinking about him like that. It's not going to happen. You'll only get your hopes up. Besides, it's just a silly crush. It'll pass eventually._

I waved bye once we got to the hallway, my thoughts changing from a boy with blue eyes to a boy with aqua green ones. I had managed to keep my excitement under control for the past few hours. I'd just have to contain it a little bit more until the band room cleared out. Most of the band was already on their way outside by the time I got there. Demyx, as he was the last out the door, waved at me before going outside, too.

I walked into the band room and all was quiet. Glancing out the window, I saw that it was nice and sunny out. A beautiful day for marching, as Demyx would say. In other words, my meeting with Riku wouldn't be cut short this time.

Suddenly feeling a coldness on my shoulder, I turned to see Riku with his hand on my shoulder. He was sit-floating there, looking at me with hopeful eyes. "So," he asked, "did you get it?"

"Yep," I said. I pulled the note out of my backpack for him to see.

"Awesome," Riku said. He stood and went toward the piano. "Now we just need to get in contact with a psychic medium."

"Do you know of any in town?" I asked him.

"There is one person in town who claims to be one. Her name's Larxene Regnard."

"Great! I'll look her up online tonight and see if I can schedule an appointment."

"Thanks," he said with a smile.

"Oh, don't thank me," I replied. "I'm more than happy to help. Besides, I feel like I kind of owe you for freaking out the first time I saw you. Sorry about that, by the way."

Riku shrugged. "It's not like you're the first."

"Really?" I asked, curious. "Who else has seen you?"

"Just the former band director," Riku admitted. "He walked in on me playing one day a few weeks back. The second he saw me, he took off like a bat out of hell. I must've really scared the poor guy because, a couple of days later, I was wandering around the school and overheard a few of the teachers talking about his resignation and how my dad, the principal, was going crazy trying to find someone to fill his position on such short notice."

I blinked. So, what he was basically saying was he had indirectly gotten my brother a job. He hadn't said it like that, but still he had. He probably wasn't even aware of the fact.

"Huh."

Riku gave me a questioning look, so I explained the situation Demyx and I had been in back at Destiny Island and how we moved here because they had hired him so quickly.

"Geez," he said, "talk about a crazy set of circumstances."

I nodded. It was pretty crazy that something he had done a few weeks ago had affected my life. In a way, I wanted to be angry with him; he had brought about the reason we had left home, after all. But I just couldn't bring myself to be. It wasn't like he had planned it or anything. That, and life here wasn't too bad so far, even if I was living with my prick of a great-uncle. Demyx had a job and that was the important thing. I felt indebted to the guy now.

_You are doing what you can to help him until you find someone who could be of better use to him in solving this case_, I thought. _It's the best you can do._

"So," Riku said, pulling me out of my thoughts, "tell me about yourself."

"A-about myself?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "I mean, I would like to know a little bit about the person who is helping me solve the mystery of my murder."

"W-well, w-what would you like to know?" I hated being put on the spot like this. I could never think of what to say. My mind always blanked in these types of situations.

"Like…what do you plan on majoring in when you graduate from high school?"

"The fine arts…I'm mostly going to focus on sketching, though."

"Thought so."

"And what about you?" I asked. I threw a quick glance at the piano. "You were going to major in music, right?"

Riku nodded. "I'm guessing you were asking around about who I was?"

"You kind of came up in a conversation, actually," I replied.

"With who?"

"Axel."

"Burnstine?"

"Yeah, he's a friend of the family."

"Well, that's cool," Riku said, very interested. "How'd you meet him?"

I explained to Riku how Axel and Demyx had been best friends in high school and all that jazz. I left out the part about him being there for Demyx and I after our parents died, though; I didn't feel comfortable telling him about all of that. It was too personal.

"So, how are you adjusting to things here, being new and all?" he asked.

"It's okay so far," I replied. "Nothing to complain about, really. My teachers all seem pretty okay so far, and I've made a few friends."

"Like who?"

"Zexion Ignatz, Olette Stevenson, Hayner Davis, Pence Trombini, Sora and Roxas Skylark, and Kairi Vollmond."

Riku's expression changed, a frown forming on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concerned with his sudden change in mood.

"Nothing. It's just…that was basically my whole crew, and Sora and Kairi had been my best friends before I died."

"I-I'm so sorry. I—"

"What are you apologizing for?" he asked.

I remained quiet. I wasn't really sure why I was saying sorry, either. Maybe it was just because the mention of them had made him so sad.

"How are they doing?" he asked.

"Well, they seem happy. And they're dating."

"Really?" When I gave him a nod, he chuckled. "Well, that's good."

"You miss them, huh?"

"Yeah. But as long as they are doing okay, I'm okay."

I nodded. That was sweet.

"I don't know who Zexion is, though," he said. "I mean, I've heard the name, but I've never actually met the guy."

I started to describe Zexion to him. And it took an awful lot of willpower to stay neutral while describing him.

"Him?" Riku asked, knowing who I was talking about. "Olette always said that guy was a loner."

"That's what she told me, too. But apparently he starting to branch out a little bit."

"Good for him."

I nodded, and then a thought occurred to me. "Hey, I got a question."

"Yeah?"

"What did you do all summer?" I asked. What _had_ he done all summer? With being dead and the band room being the only room in the school with enough energy for him to do anything, there didn't seem to be much he could do.

"You remember that song I was playing when we met?" he asked.

I nodded. I really couldn't forget it when it was constantly playing on a loop as background music in my head. I had become so used to it within the past few days that it didn't even faze me anymore.

"I composed it over the summer."

Wow. That was just…wow. I couldn't play an instrument if my life depended on it so, of course, I thought it was, well…wow, for lack of a better word.

"That's awesome!"

"Well, that one and a few other songs too."

"Oh, wow."

"Well, three months with nothing to do, absolutely no need for eating or sleeping, the building being deserted most of the time, and all the time in the world a ghost can get a lot done."

Okay, so ghosts didn't need sleep. That answered that question.

"Can't do that now, though," Riku continued. "Not with everyone around at least."

"Then why did you play when I was around?" I asked. "Why did you show yourself to me?"

A thoughtful look came upon his face and he was silent for a moment. Finally he said, "I'm not sure, honestly. I just got this feeling that I should show myself to you, try to get your attention."

So he did it on a whim to get my attention….Well, it had worked.

"What surprised me, though, was that you didn't run as soon as you saw me," Riku said.

That would explain why he had looked so surprised when our eyes met. I had been way too preoccupied with the music to notice that he was see-through at the time.

"I was too wrapped up in the music, I guess," I said, looking down at the floor. "Would you, um…"

"Hm?"

"W-would you mind playing that song again?" I asked. Even though I was always hearing it in my head, nothing would compare to hearing it with my own ears, and I wanted to hear it again.

"Yeah, sure," Riku said.

Riku sat down at the piano bench, relaxing himself. He poised his long, slender fingers over the keys.

And he began to play.

His fingers ghosted over the keys gracefully as he played, their movement looking so natural. The notes and chords flowed and blended together beautifully, hauntingly. Once again the song was reaching into my heart and pulling at its strings.

I allowed my eyes to shut as I listened, tears pricking behind my eyelids. The song painted sorrow in such a beautiful way. I wondered about what had caused him to compose this song. Was there a deeper meaning behind its melancholy melody? Or had he just composed it as he went?

Suddenly, the music stopped. Confused, I opened my eyes.

Riku was gone.

Not even a second later, Demyx walked in. He had a look of bewilderment on his face. He looked at me, glanced around the rest of the room in search of something. His eyes then finally came to rest on me again. "Nami," he asked, "was that you?"

_Nice call, Riku_, I thought.

"What was me?" I asked Demyx as innocently as possible.

"That music," he answered. "Was that you playing the piano?"

"Well," I replied, "there's no one else here, is there?"

Demyx's whole face lit up at the lie. I tried not to visibly cringe. He had always wanted me to learn to play an instrument. I felt so horrible lying to him, but I knew he'd never believe the truth.

"I knew you had the music in you!" Demyx cheered. "Play it again."

"No, Demyx, not now," I said and glanced around at all of the band kids who had walked in as we were talking. Not only did I not want to play because I couldn't but also because I was clamming up with all of these people around. I'd had my share of public performing for the day in drama class, thank you.

Demyx patted my head and went to his office to gather his things, leaving my in the middle of the band room.

I stared at the piano for a moment. Then I looked down at my hands. I thought, _these hands may be able to create realistic and detailed drawings…_

I looked back at the piano.

_But they'd never be able to make anything as beautiful as that._

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><p>Hope you enjoyed the chapter!<p>

Note: Zexion won't be joining the investigation for a bit. I have a lot of other things to add in before he gets involved.

Leave a review to let me know what you think so far. Also, feel free to leave a review on your suspicions for who the murderer is. I would really like to see how predictable I'm being with this story.

Until next time! -Muffcakeloverxiii


	9. Chapter 9

Hello, readers! I would like to start off with a few statements.

First off, I'd like to thank my favoriters, subscribers, and reviewers. You guys make me so ecstatic and make me want to write more.

Second, this chapter is going to be short compared to the last one, so I hope that's okay. Also, at this point I have a feeling this is going to be quite a long fanfic, so I hope you guys are into long stories. :D

Lastly, I apologize for any errors I failed to correct while editing this.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story.

Enjoy!

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><p>When I got home, I went straight to my room. Once I heard the door click shut I began looking through my dresser for something to wear. I decided on a black tank top with a bitten silver apple on it that read "true love's kiss will break any curse" and a pair of faded jean shorts.<p>

After I changed my clothes, I went over to my desk and turned on my laptop. Waiting for it to boot up, I turned to look at my sketches.

My eyes landed on my sketch I had drawn my first night here. I'd have to make a note to myself to draw the view out my window during the different times of day and seasons as well. I'd like to capture the changing seasons on paper; I'd never really had the chance to do that sort of thing back in Destiny Island because it was warm and sunny all year round there.

Zexion's profile caught my eye next. He was naturally handsome, sure, but I really wished he was more expressive; it'd be so much easier to tell what he was thinking and I wouldn't constantly feel like I was acting like an idiot around him (that, and I just wanted to see him smile again like I had earlier that day). It made me smile to know that I was the first documented person (as far as Olette or anyone else knew, anyway) that he'd associated with. It made me feel special. Whether or not he considered me special was beyond my knowledge though.

Then I saw my sketch of Riku. As I gazed the sketch, my thoughts drifted back to our earlier conversation, and I had a realization. Aside from my family and Selphie and Wakka and Tidus, I'd never been able to talk to someone as easily as I had talked to him. Not even Olette and Kairi, and I didn't even want to think about how much I tripped all over myself when I talked to Zexion. The words just seemed to flow out so easily, and I didn't know why. It made me wonder.

In the middle of me revelation I heard my phone vibrate. I checked the screen. I had one new message from Kairi. I opened the text, which read:

**Kairi: I wasn't sure if any1 told u but it's casual Friday 2morrow!**

Quirking an eyebrow, I sent back: **Casual Friday? Isn't that a workplace thing?**

A few seconds later, I got a response back.

**Kairi: yeah but it's a school thing 2. They do it 2 make school feel less like a prison but it doesn't really work. Anyway there's a pep rally 2morrow 2 so make sure ur clothes r green & black ;)**

**Okay**, I sent back.

Not even a second later, I got another text.

**Kairi: Hey r u free Sunday afternoon?**

Thinking the question over, I wasn't sure. I went across the hall and knocked on Demyx's door. "Demyx?"

There was the sound of a chair wheeling across the floor. It stopped. A second later, Demyx, sitting on his swivel chair, opened the door. He asked, "What you need, Nami?"

"Do we have anything going on Sunday?" I asked.

"Not that I know of," he replied. "Why?"

"A friend's asking."

"Oh, okay."

**Nope. What's up?** is what I replied.

As I headed back across the hall, I got another text.

**Kairi: I wanted 2 c if u wanted 2 go on a double date w/ me, Sora & Roxas.**

A double date? I hadn't even been on a normal date yet, and I'm sixteen! (It comes with being at the bottom of the social ladder.) Besides, only a few days was barely enough time to get to know a person, and I wanted to get to know Roxas a little better before I went out with him (as Sora was obviously Kairi's date).

Then again, wasn't that the point of dating? To get to know another person better before you committed to a more serious relationship? And how different was a double date from going out with friends? It _was_ more or less what we were going to be doing, just considered a date. And if Roxas was really as disinterested in having a romantic relationship as Olette had made it seem, then I really was just hanging with friends, and two of those friends just so happened to be dating.

Having it fixed in my head that I wasn't going to consider it a date, I sent back, **Sure.**

**Kairi: Awesomeness! Where do u live so we can come get u?**

I sent back, **U know that mansion in the woods off of market st?**

_Buzz._

**Kairi: U live there?**

** Me: yeah. Y?**

** Kairi: I thought Ansem Strife was still living there.**

** Me: He is. He's family.**

Sadly.

**Kairi: O ok :) I'll c u 2morrow!**

** Me: U 2**

I set my phone down on my desk and looked at my laptop. Seeing that it was done booting up, I logged in, got on the internet, and went to Google. I typed "Larxene Regnard psychic medium Twilight Town" in the search bar just to cover all the bases. The first link listed had a map displayed next to it with a balloon indicating that her shop—Life, Death & Beyond—was located on 12th Street.

Deciding that must be the place, I clicked on the link. Life, Death & Beyond's homepage was black with a silver font, and there was a picture of a woman in the center. She looked like she was in her early to mid-twenties. Her hair was golden blonde and slicked back, with the exception of two strands that stuck up like antennae (which had to be intentional because any normal person would check to make sure their hair was how they wanted it before taking a picture for their website or any other form of advertising, so that must have been how she wanted it). Wearing a black t-shirt and skinny jeans and stiletto-heeled boots, she was posed leaning against a brick wall with her arms crossed, and there was a smirk on her face.

_So that's Larxene_, I thought. She wasn't what I had expected, but I really didn't know of any other mediums in Twilight Town, so I was exremely limited with my options at this point.

I found her phone number in the contact info section of the site and called. After about the third ring, someone picked up. "Larxene Regnard, psychic medium. What can I do for you?" came a smug-sounding female from the other end of the line.

"Um, yeah, I'd like to schedule an appointment," I replied.

"Name?"

"Naminé Strife."

"And what day?"

I couldn't make the appointment for tomorrow because of the blitzball game; Demyx would find that strange since I haven't missed a high school blitzball game in my life since Demyx started teaching. That, and I had to let Riku know and I wouldn't be able to speak to him tomorrow until the game was underway because there would be no practice after school (Demyx liked to give the kids time to eat, relax, and get ready before the games), and by that point Larxene would have closed up shop for the night (I had checked her business hours, and it was only open until seven in the evening (psychic mediums have got to eat and sleep like everyone else)).

That made the next available day Saturday.

"Do you have anything open for Saturday?" I asked.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "How does four pm sound?"

"Sounds good."

"Alright, well, I'll see you then."

"You, too. Bye," I said, and hung up.

Well, that was done. Now all I had to do was come up with an excuse to tell Demyx why I needed to go into town on Saturday. Money wasn't an issue (I still had plenty from working odd jobs back in Destiny Island); the problem was getting him to let me go out. If I told him I wanted to just shop around for clothes and promised to be extra careful, despite us not being familiar with the town, he'd probably be okay with it since it was a pretty quiet town, but not without handing me a can of mace first.

I quickly bookmarked Larxene's page and logged off my laptop. I opted to get started on my homework, which my was pretty light considering I only had to finish reading up to chapter five of _The Jungle_.

Mid-chapter three I was called down to dinner. The food was delicious as always, and Demyx's excited chatter about the game against the Traverse Town Bulldogs. He reminded me of an excited puppy.

When dinner was over, I went back upstairs to finish reading. But it was _so_ dry, that book. I skimmed the remainder of the reading and then placed the novel on my desk.

_Finally_, I thought. With a stretch, I looked out my window. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow about my room.

_Time for another sketch._

I got up, dragging my stool with me and set it up in front of my window. I threw open my window, the drapes fluttering as a pine-scented breeze blew into the room. I grabbed my sketchbook, pencil, and colored pencils out of my bag and plopped down on the stool, my sketchbook open to a stark white page.

_Wait_, I thought. _I got the perfect song to go along with this sketch._

Placing my things down on the stool, I went and dug through my bag for my iPod. Finding it, I stuck the earbuds in my ears, selected "Orange Colored Sky" by Michael Bublé, and put it on repeat.

_I was walking along minding my business_

_When love came hit me in the eye_

Sticking my iPod into the pocket of my shorts, I went back over to my stool and settled down on it.

_Now out of the blue, my dreams came true_

_When they ask I'll tell them why_

And I began to draw.

_I was walking along minding my business_

_When out of an orange colored sky_

_Flash, bam, alakazam, wonderful you came by_

I let my hand guide my pencil over the page. I penciled in the tree line carefully but quickly; I was losing precious sunlight.

_I was humming a tune_

_Drinking in sunshine_

_When out of an orange colored view_

_Wham, bam, alakazam, I got a look at you_

I took the same care with drawing the town and sloping hills beyond the trees.

_One look and I yelled timber,_

_Watch out for flying glass_

'_Cause the ceiling fell in and the bottom fell out_

_I went into a spin_

_And I started to shout,_

_I've been hit, this is it, this is it_

I then moved on to the sky, its clouds looking like fluffy pieces of that classic carnival cotton candy.

_I was walking along minding my business_

_When love came and hit me in the eye_

_Flash, bam, alakazam, out of an orange colored sky_

I did some erasing and touching up on a few areas that I wasn't quite satisfied with. Then, I pulled out my colored pencils.

_One look and I yelled timber,_

_Watch out for flying glass_

'_Cause the ceiling fell in and the bottom fell out_

_I went into a spin_

_And I started to shout,_

_This is it, this is it, this is it, I've been hit_

I began to dye the page with color. Oranges, pinks, purples, and other colors of twilight all blended together.

_I was walking along minding my business_

_When love came and hit me in the eye_

_Flash, bam, alakazam, ooh that orange colored sky_

I added some final shading, casting long shadows as the sun does when it sets, giving the sketch a realistic look.

_Out of that orange colored, purple striped, pretty green polka dot sky!_

Just as the last sliver of sunlight sank behind the tree-line, I finished. Going across the room, I flicked on my light to get a better look at my work. As lamplight flooded the room, I scrutinized my sketch.

_Not bad_, I thought as I tore along the perforated line. I taped it to the wall and stood back to look at my sketches (I liked looking at my work; it had good effect on my self-esteem (which I really didn't have a lot of to begin with)).

My eyes locked with Riku's drawn ones, and I smiled at him. _Don't worry_, I thought, _we'll figure this out._

* * *

><p>Well, I hope you guys enjoyed that short little chapter.<em><br>_

Please leave a review. They motivate me, so I just might update a little faster next time.

And feel free send me a review or PM about who you think the murderer is at this point or who you think Nami should end up with at the end of the story.

Until next time!

-Muffcakeloverxiii


	10. Chapter 10

Hi, readers! Here's a new chapter for you guys. I have been working super hard on this chapter for the past month, and might I say I am surprised I actually managed to post it before finals.

I want to thank all the readers, favoriters, followers, and reviewers of this story. You make this story worth writing.

Also, an apology for any errors I have made with this chapter. I was in a hurry to get it up.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story. Naminé's shirt is by Hybrid tees.

* * *

><p><em>Casual, casual, casual…<em>

I was looking through my clothes the next morning trying to decide what to wear. Though my color choice was limited, I still had to choose which shirt I was going to wear. And I taking longer than I would have normally because I was still pretty groggy after not getting a good night's sleep; my excitement about the appointment with Larxene had kept me from it.

_I wonder how much sleep I've lost since I met Riku_, I thought absentmindedly as I continued to look through my clothes.

Taking the weather into consideration (it was supposed to be pretty chilly compared to how it had been for the past couple of days), I settled on a pair of black skinny jeans, a forest green graphic tee with two marshmallows on it, one burnt and one not, with the unburnt marshmallow saying, "Haha! You got burned!", and a black jacket. I pulled on a pair of green ankle socks and black converse to complete my outfit. After brushing my hair, I grabbed my things and headed down to breakfast.

When I got to the dining room, Demyx was already sitting there eating. He was wearing the band's t-shirt for the year and a pair of jeans, along with a pair of all-black converse. He looked up at me as I took my seat next to him and said, "Morning, Nami!"

"Morning, Dem."

"You ready for the game tonight?"

"Yep," I said through a yawn, taking a bite of toast. That night I was planning on saying that I had to use the restroom right before the band was going to go out and perform pregame. It would give me an excuse to stay behind and talk to Riku about our appointment with Larxene tomorrow.

"Glad to hear it!" He finished his breakfast and roll-stepped out into the foyer while humming the opening number for the half-time show. Ah, typical Demyx.

~o~

And I had thought the school was loud on a normal morning. This morning it was so loud that I could barely hear myself think. Everyone was jumping and shouting and so ecstatic for the game against the Traverse Town Bulldogs tonight, from what I was catching from bits of conversations. I mean, Destiny Islanders were sports-crazed, too, but they were never this excited until the pep rally.

_…What is it like at the pep rallies then?_

I went upstairs to my locker and saw Kairi at her own locker. She was wearing a black, green, and white long-sleeved cheerleading uniform. Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail, tied with a black, green, and white ribbon. As she shut her locker and spun around in her white tennis shoes, Kairi caught sight of me and waved. "Hey, Nami!"

"Hey," I said, lifting my hand in a not-quite-but-almost wave (I was still feeling a little sleepy).

"You excited for the game tonight?"

Opening my locker, I answered, "Yep."

"I can't hear you!" she said in a sing-song voice.

"Uh-uh. Saving my voice for the game tonight."

"Fair enough," Kairi said, satisfied. "Oh, and Nami, could you please not mention our plans for Sunday to Roxas?"

"Yeah, sure. Why?"

"Because if he knows ahead of time he'll try to make other plans to get out of it."

"Oh, okay."

"Thanks! I'll see you later," she said and headed off to her homeroom class.

_Geez_, I thought, _Olette wasn't kidding when she said he wasn't interested in dating anyone._

_But it's not a date anyway_, I reminded myself.

~o~

"Morning, Axel," I said, suppressing the urge to let out a yawn, as I walked into first period.

Axel, who was sitting at his desk, was dressed in a green t-shirt, jeans, and black converse. He looked up at me, smiled, and gave my hair an affectionate ruffle. "Morning, squirt," he said. "How's that assignment going?"

"Good. I'm going to start painting today," I replied. We had been assigned to paint a cubism portrait of the person next to us. So, mine was of Zexion, and his was of me.

"Well," Axel said, "hop to it, squirt."

Getting the canvas off the rack, I looked over my work from the past few days. Both of Zexion's eyes were on the left side of his face. He had two sets of nostrils; along with various other things I'd done to his handsome face to make it cubism-esque. I grimaced at it.

Although I loved art, this wasn't exactly an enjoyable assignment. I'd always had a dislike for cubism; I had never found it very flattering to the subject of the piece.

But it gave me an excuse to look at Zexion, so I couldn't really complain.

After I gathered up a brush, paint, a palette, and water I got to work. I was so absorbed in my work that I hardly noticed anything else around me. So much so that I jumped when I heard Zexion say, "Hey."

"H-hey," I stammered, keeping my head down so he couldn't see the blush of embarrassment I could feel rising to my cheeks.

As he worked beside me on his cubism painting of me, I felt self-conscious, what with him constantly looking at me. Most girls would probably have enjoyed having a cute guy look at them, but it only made me stress out about my appearance. Not so much my clothes but my hair and face; I don't know why.

Glancing over at him for reference to my painting, I saw that he was wearing a black t-shirt underneath a green, gray, black and white plaid flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up just past his elbows, gray straight-leg jeans, and all-black high-top converse. Zexion looked up and our eyes met for a split-second before we both hurriedly looked back down.

_Way to be awkward, Nami_, I thought.

Being a little more subtle this time, I lowered my head and glanced at him through my bangs. I wondered if he felt as self-conscious as I did when he looked at me when I looked at him; with his unwavering stoic expression I really couldn't tell.

I had gotten a good bit of painting done by the time I started cleaning up. I figured it would take another day or two to finish it up, so I'd probably be finished with it at least by Tuesday.

_And then no more cubism_, I thought happily.

Periods two, three, and four all came and went, and soon it was lunchtime. The gang was all seated around the same table we'd been occupying since Monday. Pence was wearing his band t-shirt; Olette had on her majorette wind suit; and Sora, Roxas, and Hayner all had on their blitzball team t-shirts.

As we ate I noticed Kairi glancing back and forth from Roxas to me and smiling to herself. Olette elbowed me in the side and gave me a confused look, to which I just gave a shrug. Kairi noticed this and gave Olette an I'll-tell-you-later look. Roxas didn't notice a thing.

Gym, history, and Grammar & Lit III went by in a flash and then I was in drama. I spent most of class—seated between Zexion and Kairi—watching the rest of the groups do their improv exercises. Kairi left class early after the last group went, though, with a couple of other kids who had to get ready for the pep rally.

So I was left with Zexion.

Yay.

It wasn't all that bad, though. The silence between us was pretty comfortable, actually. He just sat there with his nose in a book while I doodle in my sketchbook. Which I found kind of funny considering the awkwardness in art this morning.

After a couple of minutes, a male voice came over the PA system. "All students are to report to the gymnasium for the pep rally. Again, all students are to report to the gymnasium for the pep rally. Thank you."

"Class dismissed," Luxord said.

We all grabbed our things and made our way out the exits at the back of the auditorium. Heading down the hall to the gym, I heard something coming from the direction of the stairwell. It steadily got louder as we neared the gym. Turning my head, I saw my peers burst through with shouts and chants like a roaring black and green river bursting through a reservoir.

Instinctively, I grabbed onto one of Zexion's sleeves as we merged with the crowd; though he wouldn't get too far, I still didn't want to get separated. Squeezing us both through the door frame with the rest of the students, he led me into the gym.

The first thing I noticed when I walked into the gym was my ribcage rattling, a feeling I'm all too familiar with. The percussion section was pounding out a cadence—I could see Pence with his tenor drums—and the sound waves were causing my ribs to vibrate. The sensation had been a strange the first time I'd felt it back when I was a freshman back at Destiny Island High, but I was so used to it now that it was kind of comforting.

"Hey," Zexion called over his shoulder at me over the pounding of the drums, taking my attention away from the booming beat in my ribs. "Where do you want to sit?"

I started looking around for a god seat. Students were clambering up the bleachers to either get a spot. I saw the band seated in their own section of bleachers, and Olette was waving at me with one hand and twirling her baton with the other.

Taking the lead, I went over and sat down with the majorettes and color guard. Zexion took the empty seat on the other side of me. Demyx, seeing me, smiled.

And then he saw Zexion. His smile faltered for just a split second.

_Uh-oh_, I thought, _something tells me he's going to want to have a talk on the way home._

The cheerleaders were getting in position for the pep rally. I spotted Kairi standing in front of the blitzball players' bleachers, waving at Sora in the stands with a pom-pom.

Glancing around the gym, I saw the place was already a madhouse, and the pep rally hadn't even gotten into full swing yet. The students were working themselves into a frenzy. I had no doubt they'd all be without their voices by tomorrow morning.

And then something caught my eye. It was a hand-painted black, green, and white banner. There were painted ravens all over it, and it read:

_Let's do the Bulldogs an unkindness!_

"'Let's do the Bulldogs an unkindness'?" I asked Zexion. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's a play on words," Zexion answered, matter-of-factly. "You know that phrase 'to do someone a kindness'?"

I nodded. Who hasn't?

"Well," he continued, "a group of ravens is called an unkindness. So doing them an unkindness references our future victory over the Bulldog while at the same time being a raven pun."

_Huh. That's a pretty educated pun_, I thought. I had to hand it to whoever had come up with it, because it was much more original than "Let's go team!"

It's way better than anything I could've come up with, anyway.

"Hi, everyone!" came a high-pitched female voice that echoed through the gym. I turned to see a girl with long, auburn hair standing in the middle of the Raven emblem at the center of the gym holding a microphone. "Shiki here! How's everyone doing today?"

There was a thunderous roar that drowned out the "woo!" I had let out. I wasn't even sure if Zexion had made a sound.

"Awesome!" Shiki chirped. "Everyone ready for the game tonight?"

More thunderous roaring.

"Coolness, guys. Now, how about we get this pep rally underway with a performance form the band and cheerleaders?"

Cheers all around.

"Take it away, guys!"

The band began playing "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond. And, might I say, with an amazing amount of enthusiasm. The cheerleaders danced along to a little routine with the music, light on their feet. Once the song was over, there was thunderous applause.

"Excellent as always, guys! Now," said Shiki, "who's up for a little class-versus-class showdown!?"

_Roar!_

On second thought, their vocal chords would destroyed before the game even began.

They ran a wheel-barrow relay race. The winners? The seniors. Typical. I had to give them props for that whole somersault-switch maneuver, which had saved them a butt load of time.

"Way to go, seniors!" Shiki cheered.

There were boos and hisses from the other classes, including most of the band. I heard Zexion give a monotoned boo, and I laughed. He looked over at me, and I thought I saw the corner of his mouth twitch up a little bit.

Shiki just giggled.

"And now the fight for the Spirit Stick!" she exclaimed. Another student ran up and handed her a black, green, and white shimmering rod. "Which class has the most pep? We shall see."

Shiki turned toward a section of the bleachers. "Freshmen, you're up first!"

The cheerleaders went over to the freshmen section of the bleachers. And they cheered, "T!"

"T!" the freshmen echoed.

"T!"

"T!"

"H!"

"H!"

"S!"

"S!"

"TTHS!"

"Let's go Ravens!"

This chanting went around to all the classes. While it was the blitzball players' turn to shout the chant (theirs being the loudest so far), four of the band kids got up out of their seats and stood in front of the band bleachers. The drum major, Pence, a sophomore boy, and a freshman girl—representatives of all four classes.

"Seniors, Juniors, Sophomores! You know the cheer," said the drum major. "Freshmen! Just follow our lead."

The cheerleaders were heading our way. Upon seeing the four band kids standing, they all exchanged knowing looks, and the squad stood back, watching with expectant eyes.

"What's going on?" I asked Olette.

"Just make like a freshmen and follow our lead; you'll catch on fast," she answered cryptically.

I nodded, still confused. I looked over at Zexion. He just shrugged.

Then the drum major raised his hands above his head, flicking them down at the wrists. "Gimme a T!" he shouted.

"T! You got your T, you got your T!" I shouted along with Olette and the rest of the band.

Pence did the same thing as the drum major, forming another "T", and shouted, "Gimme another T!"

We shouted back again, "T! You got your T, you got your T!"

_I think I see where this is going._

The sophomore took a wide stance, bending his legs and bending his arms up at the elbows, making an "H." He shouted, "Gimme an H!"

"H! You got your H, you got your H!"

The freshman, turned sideways, had her arms together, bent up at the elbows, hands flicked down at the wrists. She was standing on one leg to make an S-shape. "Gimme an S?" she shouted with uncertainty but received approving nods from the upperclassmen.

"S! You got your S, you got your S!"

Now, this next part of the cheer went like this:

Everyone: Now hush! You don't want us!

Girls: Do ya, do ya?

Boys: No!

Girls: Do ya, do ya?

Boys: Not really!

Girls: Do ya, do ya?

Boys: No!

Everyone: No, I don't think so!

The band and cheerleaders erupted into cheers. Glancing around the gym, I saw the freshmen staring on, stupefied; everyone else just glared at us.

"Looks like we have a winner!" Shiki shouted, handing the Spirit Stick over to the drum major.

The drum major, letting out a victory screech, ran to the center of the gym and back, parading the Spirit Stick around as if it were a mace. The band played "The Imperial March" from Star Wars as he did this. And all the while, the other students were booing us.

_Such love we have for each other_, I thought sarcastically.

"Now," Shiki said, "before we wrap up this pep rally, can I get a caw?"

Caw?

Suddenly the gym erupted in caws, and I froze, chilled to the bone, my heart pounding from its newfound place in my throat. It was an instinctive reaction; I couldn't help it. Those caws sounded so life-like it was scary. It was like everyone was a raven in the guise of a human. I half expected them to start morphing into black, feathered fiends. That's how real they sounded.

I was sitting there trembling, my fingers locked around the edge of my seat, when I felt a hand on the small of my back. It startled a little at first, but then it began rubbing my back comfortingly. I turned to Zexion and saw it was him who was rubbing my back. I blushed a little. I must've seemed so silly, having practically jumped out of my skin over some bird calls. He didn't say so, though.

I was brought back to the pep rally as Shiki said, "And I'm going to hand the mic over to Principal Crescent."

Shiki handed the microphone over to a tall man with long silver hair. He was wearing a black suit with a white button-down shirt with a black tie. He had a serious expression on his face and seemed pretty intimidating. Everyone else seemed to think so too, as the gym became silent in an instant.

_So this is Riku's dad_, I thought.

"Everyone will remain seated until you are dismissed," he said in a deep voice. "Band!"

The drums beat out a cadence as the band exited. Zexion and I followed them out. Olette was sort of prancing down the hallway to the beat of the music and managed to get me to join in with her. Olette were busting our guts with laughter as we did this, and Zexion just followed behind us with what almost seemed like an amused look on his face. He parted ways with us before I got a good look.

_Oh, so close._

~o~

Demyx had been silent on the shuttle to the station, which was strange because normally he was such a chatterbox. He was only ever silent until we were alone when he was about to give me a stern talking-to.

Once we got off the shuttle and into Demyx's van and started heading back to the mansion, Demyx began, "So…"

_Oh, boy_, I thought, _here we go._

"…who was that guy you were with, Nami?" he finished.

_Of course._

"His name's Zexion. He's one of my friends," I answered.

"'A friend,' huh?" he repeated. "Do normal friends who you've only known for a couple of days try putting the moves on you?"

He was talking about when Zexion had rubbed my back. So he'd been watching us. Great.

"He wasn't 'putting the moves on me,' Dem."

"Uh-huh, sure he wasn't. Just promise me you'll wait until the relationship is serious before you try to—"

"Demyx!" I could feel my face flushing.

"Promise me!"

"I promise. Geez, Dem, you know I'm not into the whole idea of sex-before-marriage, anyway." Your first time is supposed to be something special. I'd prefer it being with someone who I'm truly in love with and wholly committed to than just some guy who I might end up breaking up with eventually.

"I know. It's just some times in the heat of the moment people lose control of themselves, and I don't want you doing something that you're going to regret."

"You talking from experience here, Dem?" I teased.

"We are not discussing this anymore." Now it was his turn to blush.

Giggling, I turned my gaze out the window. My thoughts drifted to the appointment with Larxene. And then to Riku. Tomorrow we would see her and maybe get some answers to point us in the right direction.

We'd be one step closer.

* * *

><p>Yeah, so another filler chapter. I apologize for that. I know everyone probably wants some more action to the plot line, but all things must be done in moderation. There will some action coming up in the next two chapters when we get to meet Larxene. Fun times! Yay!<p>

Also, this a Happy (early) Birthday present for one of my friends. You know who you are.

And for my marching band buddies, I hoped you liked all the references I made to the pep rallies at school. :) As a graduating senior, I'll miss you guys. T.T

So how did you guys like it? Leave a review to let me know. Reviews are the fuel for the fire that is my drive to write.

Still asking for opinions on who you think the murderer is. It's still pretty early on in the story, but I just want to gauge my predictability.

Until next time!

-Muffcakeloverxiii


	11. Chapter 11

Hey, guys! Here's a new chapter for you. This is the longest chapter yet, so I'm thoroughly surprised I managed to finish this in less than a month.

A thanks to all my readers, favoriters, followers, and reviewers for this story. You guys make me happy, and for that you get cookies! You rock!

I apologize for any errors I made while I was writing and failed to correct while I was editing. I hope I didn't make too many flub-ups.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story.

* * *

><p>We were on our way back to the school for the game. We just got out of the van and onto the shuttle. And it was packed. It was like the whole town and their great-grandmother was coming to the game (these guys were definitely bigger sports fanatics than Destiny Islanders). There weren't any empty seats, so Demyx and I held on to an already occupied metal pole (unlike some people who were just standing there, not holding on to anything, laughing as they tried to see who could keep their balance the longest (they all stumbled once the shuttle stopped)).<p>

Arriving at our stop, Demyx and I made our way across the street to the school with the rest of the crowd. We diverged away from the stream of spectators and went inside the entrance closest to the band room. Walking down the hall, I heard a lot of doodling* coming from the band room through its open doors. It was a cacophony of Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al," the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine," Chuck Mangione's "Land of Make Believe," West Side Story's "Gee, Officer Krupke," and One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful" (that one primarily being played by the flutes).

And one lone saxophone played George Michael's "Careless Whispers."

Walking into the band room, I saw all the band kids in their uniforms. They wore black, green, and white wool uniforms, black drillmasters**, black shakos*** with white plumes, and white gloves. It's a good that it wasn't hot outside, because they'd be sweating in those things otherwise.

While I stayed at the back of the room near the door, Demyx made his way to his podium. He swept his gaze over the room, and then he took a deep breath. "Band!" he shouted over all the noise. Everyone immediately stopped playing. "Someone get the color guard and majorettes in here for roll call, please," he finished and he began rattling off names from the attendance sheet by section.

One of the girls left and came back a few seconds later, followed by the color guard and majorettes. The color guard members were wearing green asymmetrical tops, black guard gloves, black pants, and black shoes. The majorettes wore tights, a black, green, and white dress, black arm gauntlets, and knee-high, white boots. They all had their hair done up in the same formal bun, and they all had green and black makeup on.

Olette walked over to me with a huge smile plastered on her face. "So…"

"Hm?" I hummed.

"Heard about your double date on Sunday from Kai," she whispered. "You excited?"

I shrugged, whispering back, "I guess."

Olette frowned. "You guess? What do you mean you…" she trailed off at the end as a realization seemed to hit her. Her smile came back full-force. "Oh, I get it."

Blinking at her in confusion, I asked, "Get what?"

"That you'd prefer going on a date with Zexion instead."

I blushed, crossed my arms over my chest, and became very interested in the wall. "I-I won't deny that," I stuttered, because let's face it, it's the truth. "But that's not it. I'm not all that excited about it because, honestly, I'm not even considering it a date."

"Then what're you considering it?" Olette asked, clearly curious about my reasoning.

"Hanging out with friends."

"Why?"

"Well, you said so yourself that Roxas wasn't interested in dating anyone. I kind of figured that he'd treat it more like hanging out with friends, too. If he comes, that is."

"I know, but maybe you're his type."

"His type?"

"Yeah."

"And just what exactly is his type?"

Olette sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. I'm not even sure Roxas knows what his type is."

"And just how would classify me as a 'type'?"

Olette stared at me thoughtfully for a moment. "I got it!" she exclaimed in a hushed tone, snapping her fingers. "You're a white rabbit!"

"'A white rabbit'? Seriously?"

"Yeah."

"Are we talking _Alice in Wonderland_ white rabbit here?"

"Heavens, no."

"Then how would you define 'white rabbit'?" I asked, hand on my hip, one of my brows quirked up.

"Well, in some ways you're like a rabbit. Aside from being sweet, you're nervous, quiet, jumpy, and seem like the type of person who when faced with danger, confrontation, or any other kind of situation you'd prefer not being in would run away."

"And the 'white' part is because…?"

"Because you're blonde."

Geez, talk about being blunt. But it wasn't like she was wrong. I mean, I had gone in to flight mode just a few days ago the first time I had met Riku. And I jumped every single time Zexion said hi to me. Guess I'd have to work on controlling my nerves.

…Or not. If Olette was actually right and Zexion had a thing for me and my "type," then I'd be good being the way I am.

"I can't be the only 'rabbit' in the school, though," I said, crossing my arms again.

"You're not, but they're few and far between," Olette said. "You are, however, the only blonde one."

"What kind of guy has skittish blondies as their type?"

"Well, their obviously Zexion's type," Olette said with a wink, "so maybe their Roxas's type too."

"How do you figure that?" I asked.

"Hey," Olette said, "if you can get a guy like Zexion to pull his nose out of a book, then you can probably get a guy like Roxas to actually enjoy himself on a date for once."

_She either reads too many romance novels or watches too many romantic comedies_, I thought. _Or both._

"Olette Stevenson," Demyx called.

"Here!" Olette shouted back, breaking from the hushed whispers we'd been using throughout our conversation.

"Okay, guys," Demyx said firmly, "let's head out."

Olette, turning her attention back to me, whispered, "Let me know how it goes." She gave me a quick wink and headed out the door with the rest of the band kids.

Demyx then made his way toward the door. He was distracted, pulling his keys out of his pocket. There was no way I was going to get back in here if Demyx locked the door; most school doors can be opened from the inside if they're locked, but that's about it. I needed those keys.

Wait…if it could be opened from the inside, I didn't need to get his keys. I could just pound on the door and Riku could open it for me. I mean, if there was enough energy in there for him to manifest and play the piano at the same time, then there was more than enough in there for him to open the door.

"Hey, Dem," I began.

"Yeah, Nami?" he replied.

"I have to use the restroom real quick," I said as I followed him out the band room door, making it look like it was an emergency.

"Okay," he said, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a TTHS lanyard with a laminated card attached to it. "This," he said, handing it over to me so that I could that the card was some sort of ID with my picture on it and everything, "is your pass to get in since you aren't wearing a uniform. Just show it to the guy at the front gate and he should let you in."

"'Kay, thanks," I shouted over my shoulder as I ran into the restroom down the hall. Pressing my ear to the door, I listened. After a moment I heard Demyx's footsteps as he went down the hall, a pause, and then the click of the exit shutting.

Silence.

_Sounds like he's gone_, I thought, and I opened the door and poked my head out into the hallway. I looked left. I looked right. Nobody. _All clear._

I stepped out into the hall and headed to the band room. I wasn't all that concerned about the security cameras seeing me at the moment. All the security was probably at the stadium out back, so I didn't really feel the need to worry. I mean, what was one kid—the band director's sister—wandering around the halls after hours compared to the risk of half the student section getting drunk because the seniors managed to smuggle alcohol into the stadium (it had happened back at Destiny Island last year, so I didn't see why it couldn't happen here, either).

When I reached the door, I pounded on it as hard as I could. After a second Riku appeared behind the glass, and his aqua green eyes met my blue ones. I stared into them for a moment before he opened the door. Feeling my cheeks flush a bit, I kept my head down as I walked inside.

I took a seat and he sat on the piano bench across from me. "So…" he began.

"Uh, I set up an appointment with Larxene for tomorrow," I said, looking up at him through my bangs.

"Uh, yeah, about that…"

"Hm?" I looked up at him. Those words are always followed by bad news.

"Well, there's a problem…"

I knew it. "What?" I asked.

"Well, I don't think I'll be able to leave the school," Riku answered.

"What?" I asked in disbelief. "Why?"

Riku sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I tried leaving earlier because the thought 'what if I can't leave and I'm stuck here?' occurred to me. Turns out I can't leave."

"There has to be a way," I said. "I mean, from the few times I've watched shows about hauntings and such, sometimes a ghost can follow a person from one place to the next."

Suddenly Riku's eyes lit up with excitement. "That's it!"

"What's it?"

"I can't just leave. I have to follow you."

"But isn't following me out the same thing as trying to leave?"

"Not if I form an attachment with you."

"An attachment?" I asked, receiving a nod. "And just how will you do that?"

"I attach to you," he replied. "My energy attaches to your energy. That's it."

"How's that any different than a possession?"

"I don't try to manipulate your actions, words, thoughts, emotions, or energy, that's the thing."

I nodded, and then asked, "How'd you learn so much about being a spirit, anyway?"

"When I was alive I watched a lot of shows about mediums and ghosts and spirits and the like," Riku answered. He gave me a sad smile. "Guess I never thought it'd come in handy like this.

"Anyway," he continued, shaking his head, "there is a whole set of terminology that is used when talking about other forces. Like the correct term for what I am is a ghost."

"There's a difference between ghosts and spirits?"

"Ghosts and spirits are basically the same thing, both being free of a physical form or body. The difference is that spirits have already passed on to wherever it is that they're supposed to go while ghosts either won't or can't."

And in Riku's case he won't. Not yet, anyway.

"Then how come people say that spirits visit them if they've already passed on?" I asked.

"Spirits have this ability to bi-locate—be in two places at once," Riku answered.

"And ghosts can't?"

"No. We have many more restrictions than they do."

I nodded. "Did you learn anything more after you'd…?" It felt so awkward mentioning his own death to him. I didn't know why, it just did.

"Well," Riku replied, "once I passed on, it was mix of me learning on my own for the past couple of months and, most recently, researching on your brother's laptop when he's not looking."

"Did you figure out his password?" I asked. I knew Demyx's password for his personal laptop because, honestly, I knew him that well. His password was Arpeggio9. Arpeggio was the name of his blue sitar (which was his baby) and nine was his lucky number. I figured he used the same password for his work laptop, but I was curious as to how Riku had figured it out, not knowing Demyx that well and having figured it out in a few days.

"Nah. Your brother never logs off his laptop when he's away from his desk—like most teachers. So, when he's not looking and teaching a class, I do a little research on it. It's a good thing this room has so much energy or that laptop would probably be toast.

"Now, for this attachment-thing to work you are going to have to open yourself up to me," Riku said. "It's like hypnotism. If you aren't open to it, it won't work. You ready?" I nodded, and he shut his eyes in what seemed like concentration.

I stood and watched him, my gaze traveling up and down his spectral form. He was standing now, his feet at ground-level, and I could see that when he had been alive he had been just a bit taller than Zexion. I let my gaze wander over him for a moment more before I opened myself up to the attachment.

And then it hit me. I was overcome by this strange sensation. I couldn't really think of how to describe it other than…odd. My body didn't feel like it was completely mine anymore, like I was sharing it with someone else.

"Naminé," Riku said, getting my attention. "How do you feel?"

"…Odd," I replied.

"That means it probably worked," he said, smiling. Riku began walking toward the door. "Come on. Let's go test it out." He went right through the door and vanished.

I pushed the door open and walked out into the hallway. I made my way down the hall toward the exit, a cold spot indicating that Riku was there at my back. Moving my body, I felt even stranger, like my grip on movements was not as strong as before. When I reached the exit I pushed the door open and walked outside. It was chilly outside, and I pulled my jacket around me tightly. I was no longer sure if Riku was with me because I couldn't tell his cold spot apart from the air.

"Riku," I called, but not too loudly in case anyone was nearby and watching me. "Are you still with me?"

There was silence, and I got worried. What if his attachment to me had failed?

Then I felt a cold spot on my shoulder and I knew he was there.

~o~

Riku and I got to the band's section of bleachers just as they had finished filing in to their seats after the pregame show. I stood with Demyx, who was at the front of the bleachers near the percussion section with a marker and a dry-erase board to write down the charges for the band to play, and watched as the metal floor of the stadium opened up and the sphere pool began to take form. Though I'd been to many blitzball games in the past couple of years, the formation of the sphere pool didn't cease to fascinate me; it looked like it was made flashing bolts and cohesive water droplets when in reality it was all pyreflies, which made for a brief but totally awesome light show.

Once the sphere pool was fully formed the Bulldogs came out of visiting team's locker room. They were garbed in red and blue uniforms. Their cheerleaders, band, and fans (and there were few of those) all cheered, but that sound was overcome by the sound of our fan's booing.

Then our team started coming into the stadium from their own locker room, decked in green and black, and the band began playing "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes. First came Sora and Roxas, followed by Hayner, Seifer, Rai, and a guy named Setzer. After them came the second- and third-stringers. Then Leon walked out with another man who had chocolate brown hair, who had to be the coach. Last out to follow were the team managers Fuu and Vivi—two other members of Seifer's gang that Hayner hold me about at lunch this week.

The first-stringers of both teams leapt up into the pool and swam into position. Both teams had a look of determination in the way they carried themselves. Neither team was going to give up that easily.

The ball was at center of the sphere pool, and it began spinning.

Then the ball took off toward the upper surface of the sphere pool.

"Blitzoff!" the announcer shouted into his microphone from his seat in the press box.

And the game began. I watched with excitement as the players swam through their plays. Every time we scored the band would play and I would join in with majorettes and color guard who were dancing in a nearby section of bleachers. By the end of the first five-minute half, the teams were tied two to two.

As soon as the players were out of the sphere pool it dissembled. The two metal floor plates rejoined, and Traverse Town's marching band marched out onto the plate. Our band began getting in their opening positions to march in on for the first number on the back side of the plate.

"Nami," Demyx said, as we walked toward the front side of the plate, "could you help gather up the equipment after we're done?"

"Yeah, sure," I responded.

Demyx and I stood at the front side of the plate and watched the opposing marching band. The band played through a couple of currently popular songs, without a discernable theme. The sound wasn't bad, aside from some sour notes. Their high-step marching was okay, but I could always pick out an individual here or there who was consistently off step. The color guard members were all perfectly in time with each other, though, which is something I never saw back at Destiny Island, so it stood out to me.

As Traverse Town's band marched off, Demyx leaned down to my ear and whispered, "Think we can do better?"

I scoffed. "Is that supposed to be a joke?" He beamed at this.

The announcer came over the loudspeakers, saying, "Now let's welcome the Twilight Town Ravens' Marching Band, led by drum majors Zack Fair, Rikku Albid, and Neku Sakuraba!"

Zack Fair was the one who had led the band's cheer earlier that day at the pep rally. He was tall, tan, well-muscled, good-looking, extremely energetic, and somewhat flirty from what I had seen over the past couple of days. Aside from being a dedicated drum major and amazing trumpeter from what Demyx had told me, the guy was the band's leader, its very core. I had no doubt in my mind that many tears would be shed when he graduated; everyone seemed to love him like a brother and friend.

Rikku Albid I recognized from the first day of school as one of Kairi's friends. I mean, it was easy to recognize her because, even though all the girls were supposed to have their hair pulled up and tucked away into their shakos, a couple of her blonde braids were sticking out of her hat. From what I had seen she was a peppy person.

Neku Sakuraba I'd only seen a handful of times, and he seemed pretty antisocial, although I had seen him hanging with Shiki after the pep rally. There wasn't much I could say about that, though. I could be pretty antisocial too. He didn't seem like a bundle of nerves like me, however. He always seemed very calm and maybe even a little stoic.

"The band is under the direction of Mr. Demyx Strife!" the announcer continued, at which Demyx turned toward the crowd and gave a bow before turning back around.

All while he was saying this, the band marched, drum majors out front leading the pack as they roll-stepped onto the plate in time with the drum beat. Once the drum majors were at their podiums, the band stood at attention. Zack, Rikku, and Neku took their shakos off their heads, showing off jet-black spikes and a tanned face, a tangle of blonde braids, and golden spikes, respectively, and placed them beside their feet. They straightened back up.

"Tonight the band proudly presents…Beatlemania!"

Demyx had been waiting for this moment all week. I could see from glancing at him beside me that he was really trying to contain his excitement.

With a couple of quick hand motions, which were mimicked by the other drum majors, Zack shouted, "Ready, horns up,—"

The players snapped their instruments into playing position. The majorettes and color guard got in their opening poses.

"—Up!"

Everyone snapped their chins up, gazes locking on the press box. They all stood perfectly still.

Zack began conducting with his hands, shouting, "One! Two! One, two, ready, play!"

The song order was this: a mix of "Magical Mystery Tour" and "Lady Madonna," "Eleanor Rigby," a mix of "Blackbird" and "Yesterday," and, for the finale, a mix of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "The End." As Zack, Rikku, and Neku conducted, the band played loud and proud. They marched drill around the plate, all pretty much staying in time with the drum line; there were a few minor flub-ups but nothing that a little tweaking and practice couldn't fix.

As they hit the last note of the half-time show, the crowd went nuts. As the band began marching off, I started picking up flags and batons and other equipment (geez, this felt even weirder than walking). As I was walking back to the bleachers while the band marched, I fell in to step with Olette.

"How'd we do?" she asked, a sparkle in her eye and a smile on her face that told me she truly enjoyed what she did.

I smiled back. "Rocked it."

~o~

The second half started. All the players were giving it their all, no one missing a beat. It was so suspenseful (I'll admit that I get really into blitzball when I watched), I couldn't even sit down. I was standing up, gripping the metal rail in front of me and shouting with the crowd.

Roxas had the ball. He was about to shoot it to Sora, who was on our side of the sphere pool, close to the surface of the sphere. Sora had his eye on the ball; he was in the zone. But then something else caught his eye. And he was looking…toward me?

What was he looking at? I glanced beside me and my eyes grew wide.

Riku had manifested.

Riku, noticing both Sora's stare and mine, cursed under his breath and vanished.

Then Sora, as Roxas shot the ball at him, got tackled by one of the Bulldogs and knocked out of the sphere pool, crashing to the stadium's metal floor.

Everyone—the spectators, the cheerleaders, the band, myself, Riku—let out a gasp.

"Dammit!" Riku cursed quietly.

"Riku," I whispered, "what happened?"

"This place is full of energy," he replied. "I can feel it. I must've been using some without even realizing." He cursed a little more. And the insults were directed at himself.

"It's not your fault," I told him. "It's not like you meant for this to happen."

"I know, but still. I should be able to control energy of my own will more."

"You're still a new ghost, so don't be too hard on yourself," I said. "You're still learning after all."

I directed my attention to Sora. While I had been talking to Riku, a group of paramedics had come to the scene and were currently looking Sora over, checking for broken bones, a concussion, or any other injuries. I released a breath I didn't even know I had been holding when it turned out that Sora only had some bruising and was cleared to play.

Sora, however, instead of getting back in the game, called a time-out. He motioned for the rest of the first-stringers to join him outside of the sphere pool. They swam through the sphere pool over to him, all giving him questioning looks. Sora was turned away from me, so I couldn't see his face, but what he was saying caused Roxas and Hayner to go into shock, and Seifer, Rai, and Setzer stared on at him in disbelief.

Roxas asked him something. Sora responded, gesturing behind him. Looking over his shoulder, Sora said something and glanced in my direction, the others with him. He was obviously telling them he had seen Riku. I acted like I was completely oblivious to their gazes.

When their attention was back on Sora, he seemed to be giving them an inspirational speech, like all team captains do. Roxas and Hayner bobbed their heads a lot in agreement with Sora. Seifer and the others still looked at him questioningly but relented after Sora said something to them directly, nodding with half-smiles on their faces. Once he finished he pumped his fist into the air.

"Yeah!" his teammates shouted, following his lead, even Rai and Seifer.

They stuck their hands in circle. Sora said something, and the others nodded. They pumped their arms three times and let out a shout. I was close enough to hear what it was.

"RIKU!"

_Aw!_ I thought, smiling. _That was so sweet!_

As the players all jumped back into the sphere pool, I heard Riku chuckle. "That guy," he said, obviously talking about Sora. "Only he could turn a horrible near-mishap into a team-motivating scene like something out of one of those sports movies."

~o~

"Hey, Nami, you want to go out to eat with me, Pence, Hayner, and the others?" Olette shouted over all the commotion. We had just gotten back into the school from the stadium. The final score had been five to two, Ravens. And the drum line was pounding away on their instruments still.

"Yeah, sure," I replied. "I just need a ride."

"You can catch a ride in Hayner's truck; me and Pence are."

"Okay, I just got to tell Demyx."

"'Kay. I'll meet you outside," Olette said, heading into the color guard and majorettes' shared equipment/dressing room.

I went into the band room and snaked my way through the clusters of band kids until I found Demyx, who was in his office. "Hey, Dem," I began.

"Yeah, Nami," Demyx said, gathering up a few things.

"I'm going out to eat with Olette and Pence."

"Okay," he said, smiling. "Have fun! Text me when you're on your way home."

"'Kay."

I headed outside and waited for Olette and Pence to come out. When they came out after changing out of their uniforms, we headed to the parking lot where Hayner, Sora, Roxas, and Kairi were waiting for us. "You guys ready?" Hayner asked.

"Yep," Pence said. "There enough room in your truck for Naminé to come too?"

"Course there is," Hayner replied. Looking at Sora, he said, "We'll meet you guys there."

As Sora, Roxas, and Kairi headed off toward their own ride, the four of us piled into Hayner's truck—Hayner in the driver's seat (of course), Olette riding shotgun, and Pence and I in the back. It was an older vehicle but it was in pretty good shape. I could tell he took care of it.

"So where are we going?" I asked as we pulled out of the parking lot, beating the traffic.

"Just a local joint," Pence replied. "A place called Sunset Café."

"Oh, you'll love it, Nami," Olette chirped, turning around in her seat. "The food there is great, but the desserts are to die for."

I nodded. "Sounds good."

After about a five minute drive we had arrived at the Sunset Café, a two-story brick building with a blinking open sign in the window. Through the window I could see a lot of empty tables and chairs. It looked pretty deserted for a place that was still open, and I wondered to myself why they didn't close up early for the night. We headed inside, a bell tinkling as the door opened and shut.

"Hey, guys," a host greeted us, coming out of the back. "How many you got coming this time, Hayner?"

"Seven," Hayner told him.

_Eight, actually_, I thought.

"Alright," he said, grabbing some menus. The guy headed to a long table toward the back of the joint, and we followed. "So how'd the game go tonight?"

"We won!" Hayner said.

"Better tell the kitchen staff there'll be a full house tonight." He set out our menus on the table and headed to the kitchen.

"What did he mean by that?" I asked as we took our seats.

"Any time we win a home game," Pence answered, "its usual crowd of regulars come here to celebrate."

"It's a good thing we beat the traffic out of the parking lot," Hayner said, "otherwise this place would've been a madhouse by the time we'd got here."

"Yeah, no kidding," Olette said.

The bell on the door jingled and in walked Sora, Roxas, and Kairi. Hayner waved them over. They came and took the remaining seats just as our server came and asked what we wanted to drink, Sora being the one her attention was directed at.

"Naminé, you okay with a root beer float?" Sora asked me suddenly.

"Uh, yeah, sure," I replied.

"Make it seven root beer floats," he told the server. As she left, Sora turned back to me, saying, "Sorry about that, but it's tradition."

"Tradition?" I asked, curiously.

"After every home game we come here and order root beer floats and dessert. So it would break the tradition if you didn't order one."

"When did this start?" I asked.

"After our first home game freshman year."

I nodded. "Say, Sora, mind if I ask you something?"

"Shoot," he said.

"During the game, you seemed completely in the zone and then you got tackled out of the sphere pool," I said. "What happened back there?" I knew what he was going to say, I just wanted to hear it for myself. And I think Riku might've liked to hear it too.

"Yeah, Sora," Kairi said in a fretful tone, "what happened?"

I noticed Roxas and Hayner exchange looks.

"Well," Sora said, "while I waiting for Roxas to shoot me the ball I…I saw Riku."

Kairi, Olette, and Pence gasped. They looked so shocked, and if I was them and heard from one of my friends that they had seen a dead friend of mine I'd be pretty shocked too.

"Who's Riku?" I asked, playing the unknowing new girl.

A sad smile formed on Sora's lips. "He was a friend of ours. He committed suicide just before he was supposed to graduate last year."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said, lowering my head. And I was. I mean, losing a best friend, I didn't know how I'd deal with that.

Sora nodded in thanks for my condolences. Kairi took Sora's hand and began stroking the back of it with her thumb. Sora gave her a kiss on the temple.

"Anyway, I saw him. He was actually near where you were standing, Naminé," Sora said.

"Really?" I said, acting shocked.

Sora nodded and smiled. "He was my best friend," Sora continued, "so it means a lot that he's still with us."

Then Sora shivered. Rubbing his arms, he asked, "Is anyone else cold?"

We all shook our heads, and I stifled a giggle.

_Riku_, I thought.

The joint was starting to get busy now. People dressed in black and green were pouring through the door, waiting to be seated. A lot of them were people whose faces I recognized from school but didn't know the names of. The place was starting to get loud with chatter, conversations about the game and food.

A moment later our root beer floats came. Sora then stood up with his drink and shouted, "Everyone!" It grew quiet. Raising his glass, Sora exclaimed, "Here's to another glorious victory!"

And the whole place filled with cheers.

~o~

"Thanks, guys," I said as I got out of Hayner's truck. I gave them one last wave before I headed inside the mansion. It was quiet in the foyer, and, not wanting to ruin the silence, I crept my way upstairs. When I reached the top of the stairs I could hear noises coming from Demyx's room. I knocked.

"Come in," said Demyx.

I opened the door and poked my head in to find Demyx watching TV. "Hey, Dem," I greeted.

"Hey, Nami," he said with a stretch. "You have a good time?"

"Uh-huh."

"Good. Now, you should head off to bed; it's late."

"Okay. Night, Dem."

"Night, Nami."

I shut his door and went across the hall to my room. Closing my door behind me, I plopped down on my bed. I noticed an indentation forming in the bed beside me and Riku manifested. "Looks there's a lot of energy in this place." He beamed.

"Great!" I chirped. "Now, because of our attachment do you have to always be in the same room as me?" Because if he did, changing and going to the bathroom would be extremely awkward.

"Well," Riku said, "let's see." He went through the wall behind my bed. A moment later, he was back. "Nope. I think as long as we are in the same location, the attachment should remain."

"All right, then." I yawned. "Well, you can stay in whatever room you want. I have to get ready for bed. Good night."

"Good night, Naminé," he said. Riku then vanished.

After performing my nightly rituals and crawling into bed, I lay there for a while, thinking about our meeting with Larxene tomorrow. Riku would finally be able to get some answers as to who murdered him, and then I'd guess we'd go from there with figuring out how to get whoever they were tried and convicted for his murder. Well, I guess Riku would figure out where to go from there. I mean, the medium would probably be of more help to him than me; he'd probably form an attachment with Larxene after my part was done, and she'd be the one helping him then.

I sighed. As much as I wanted him to finally be at peace, I had a feeling I was going to miss him a bit.

My eyes growing heavy, I yawned. I rolled over on my side and fell into sleep's dark embrace.

* * *

><p>* - refer to chapter 4<p>

** - a type of marching shoes

*** - your standard marching hat

So, what did you guys think? I apologize if it bored you, but the next chapter will be interesting because we get to meet Larxene. I have that chapter all planned out, so, as long as I do not have any major cases of writer's block, I should have it posted soon.

To my band friends, I hope you guys enjoyed all the marching band references I made, and good luck on your half-time show next year. :)

Oh, and two quick notes before I go:

1. All that sit-floating I had Riku do in a few chapters, just pretend it didn't happen. I was doing a little research on mediumship, I stumbled upon the fact that spirits are the one's who float, not ghosts. The explanation for that will come later on in the story, but, for now, just erase all that from your thoughts.

2. Due to the need for a half-time show in the story, I am using the pre-Eternal Calm variation of blitzball. More info can be found at wiki/Blitzball

Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts. I always appreciate them.

Until next time!

-Muffcakeloverxiii


	12. Chapter 12

Hi, readers!

I think this is the quickest I've ever updated for any fanfic. I guess I've just been on a roll this past week. In this chapter, we get to meet Larxene, so yay! Plot movement!

I apologize for any errors I failed to correct while proofreading this.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>I was getting ready for our meeting with Larxene in a few hours. As I sat at my vanity and ran my hairbrush through my blonde locks I began wondering where Riku was, as I hadn't seen him all morning. However, I kind of figured he was exploring the mansion, looking for things to keep himself amused with when he couldn't be around me.<p>

There was a knock at my bedroom door. "Come in," I called to whoever was on the other side of it.

I heard footsteps, but the doorknob hadn't turned nor had the door creaked open. Looking in my mirror, I saw Riku looking back at me. "Hey," he said, nodding at me.

"Hey," I greeted back. "Where have you been all morning?"

"Around," Riku replied, walking across the room toward me. "Never knew how huge this place was."

"Well, it _is_ a mansion."

"True. Anyway, mind if we go downstairs?"

"Not at all. Why?"

"I want to play that piano downstairs."

_Of course_, I thought. I looked at the clock and saw it was half past two. _We have enough time._

Getting up from my seat, I answered, "Sure." If he were still living, I would've told him to go ahead without me, that I'd be down in a bit. But I couldn't do that without the risk of my great-uncle or one of the staff walking in to find no one there. I didn't have to worry about Demyx so much because he'd just play it off as him hearing things. Great-uncle Ansem, however, might die of shock (as much as I didn't like the old grump, he had still given us a roof to live under), and the staff would scare themselves out of a job for fear of the mansion being haunted. Since Riku had asked if we both could go there, I had a feeling he was thinking the same thing.

Riku dematerialized, and we headed downstairs to the entertainment room, me still getting used to how moving felt. I walked through the door and looked around. Whenever my family had come here for the reunions, I had spent most of my time in here with my cousin Xion, and I saw that some updates had been made since I was last here. Where a large, blocky TV had once been stood an entertainment center that sat under a nice flat-screen mounted on the wall. There was a glass-top coffee table in the middle of the room surrounded by a plush-looking couch and matching armchairs. On the wall opposite the TV was a large picture window that looked out on the front lawn with the curtains tied back with tassels. Where there used to be an old clock hanging from the wall now stood an antique grandfather clock.

Located between the couch and the window was the piano. The beautiful ebony grand was still in the same spot that I remembered it being in back then. It looked like it had been maintained fairly well over the years. I wondered if it was tuned.

I closed the door behind us, making sure it clicked shut. Riku manifested and took a seat on the bench while I scooted one of the armchairs across the floor. Once it was positioned next to the piano so that I could see his fingers as he played, I plopped down into the cushion and got myself settled.

Riku, who had been waiting for me to get comfortable, began to play, and I lost myself in the music. It was a different song than he had played last time but no less beautiful. This piece had a happy, nostalgic vibe but had a subtle sad undertone. Like a person reliving fond memories that they had with a dead loved one. Or a still living loved one in Riku's case.

When he finished, I clapped and he took an overly exaggerated bow to be funny. "Thank you," he said. "I'll be here until this whole thing is over."

Between giggles I said, "Well, it won't be long."

Riku nodded. "Yeah…."

Then I heard the door open quickly and plopped myself down in the piano bench as Riku vanished. I turned to see Great-uncle Ansem peer around the door.

The old grump shot me a disgusted look. "Oh, great. Just what we need," he said in exasperation, "another musician in the family."

I glared at him. Great-uncle Ansem had never been one for the arts. But his brother's, my grandfather's, side of the family had all been musically inclined. My dad had been in a band back in high school, which was how he had met my mom; my Aunt Elena—my dad's sister—had gone into musical education like my Uncle Tseng, which was how they had met; Demyx played the sitar and had gone into musical education as well; and Xion could play any instrument you put in her hands, could sing, performed in musicals, and performed in her school's show choir.

_And now, on top of all my sketching, he thinks I can play the piano_, I thought. _My zero brownie points just became negative brownie points._

He continued, "Anyway, that wasn't what I came in here to talk to you about. I came in here to tell you to refrain from talking to yourself. I will not have people thinking that my great-niece is in any way unhinged." With one last glare, he slammed the door.

Riku manifested and stared at the door for a moment. Then he asked, "What's his problem?"

"He's just a grump," I huffed.

Although I extremely disliked him reprimanding me I kind of understood why he felt it was necessary. Though I'd never admit that. Great-uncle Ansem was obviously concerned with his image among the townspeople. He had been the town's mayor at one point, after all. His reputation was a big part of who he was. He thought that how people felt about me would affect their opinion of him. If I was crazy in any way, shape, or form then people would talk, sure, but probably not about him. Just why my psyche was messed up.

What got me was that he had actually called me his great-niece. It wasn't very often he did that. That was what I was in relation to him though.

I shrugged the thought off as Riku's fingers began gliding over the ivory keys, playing another song. It was yet another beautiful piece, a lonely one. I shut my eyes and what came to mind was me standing in the middle of an endless field of tall, gray grass blowing in the wind. There was no one around for miles. It was just me. Me and the wind.

I opened my eyes and cast my gaze out the window. The sky was blue and crystal clear. The sun was shining down on the lawn, the grass green and freshly cut by hired landscapers. There was a birdbath out in the middle of the lawn, and a robin was preening itself from where it was settled on the ledge. It all looked so serene, which was a nice contrast to how the outside had looked to me when we first got here. But then, maybe that was just my dread of this place from my childhood twisting and contorting how I saw it. Or maybe it just looked creepy at sunset. I didn't know.

_Wham!_

A raven slammed into the window, and a fearful shriek escaped my lips, my heart pounding in my ears. I hid under the piano, trembling. I drew my legs up to my chest and hugged them close, burying my face so that my shut eyes were resting on my kneecaps. I was so terrified a few tears slipped down my cheeks, my eyes burning.

After a moment I noticed that the room had gone quiet. Peering up, I saw Riku crouched on the floor, a concerned look on his face. "Naminé, what's wrong?"

I reburied my face in my knees as I felt my face burning in embarrassment. I couldn't believe I had just done that in front of Riku. I had just acted completely irrational. How humiliating.

"Are you…" he continued, "afraid of ravens?"

I nodded, ducked my head again, and waited. Waited for him to start laughing at me, to tell me that I was being ridiculous.

Instead, he asked, "You want to talk about it?"

Blinking up at him with my teary, red eyes, I considered it. Aside from my parents, Demyx and Xion were the only ones who knew the story; they had been there the day it had happened. And Zexion had probably figured out they terrified me too due to him obviously noticing my reaction to the cawing at the pep rally yesterday. I had never told Selphie, Tidus, or Wakka about it because I felt embarrassed. I mean, it was silly to be terrified of a bird, even an imposing one.

_What's one more soul knowing about my darkest fear?_ I thought decidedly.

I gave him yet another nod, and Riku said, "Okay." He got up and after a pause said, "Give me one sec."

I could hear his footsteps walking away. After a couple of seconds, the light streaming through the windows dimmed, and in another instant the room it was so dark I couldn't see a thing. I wondered what Riku was doing. I heard footsteps go around the piano toward the door. Then the lights flicked on, and I could see again.

I wiped away my tears and with a sniffle crawled out from under the piano. Looking to the window, I confirmed for myself he had drawn the curtains. Turning to Riku, who was walking back toward me, I asked, "Why'd you draw the curtains?"

"Because it's still out there," he answered, reclaiming his seat on the bench. "Thought you might feel better if you at least couldn't see it."

"Thanks." The fact that it was still outside scared me, but I at least felt safer with that extra visual barrier.

As I went to sit back down in the armchair, Riku sat there patiently. Once I got myself settled, he said, "Whenever you're ready."

I took a deep breath to calm the rest of my frazzled nerves before I began. "It was back when I was little. I was here visiting with my family for one of our reunions. Usually at a reunion I'd be in here with my cousin Xion, watching movies and playing with whatever toys we'd brought with us.

"One time we were in here and it was a nice day and we were extremely bored. And you know where the courtyard is, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we decided to go out there and play instead. We were just being two kids, playing tag and running around. We were having such a good time…

"We stopped playing to take a quick breather. And we noticed two ravens off to one side of the courtyard. Nearby was a nest, so my guess is that they were mates. Anyway, being curious little kids, we went over to look at the nest. We must've gotten too close because the ravens attacked us.

"I've for a while now why they attacked, and that we shouldn't have gone anywhere near that nest. We weren't seriously hurt, but the whole thing was, well, traumatizing at that age.

"I know it's ridiculous but I just can't get over my phobia."

"You want to know how I got over my worst fear?" Riku asked.

"How?"

"I faced it."

"I don't think I'm ready for that…." Geez, I felt pathetic.

"Never said you were. We'll take baby steps, okay?"

I stared at him dumbly. He was really going to help me this? I willed my head to bob up and down. "Okay."

Riku looked at the clock, and I followed his gaze. On its white face, the hands indicated the time. It was three-twenty.

"Looks like we should get going," Riku said, getting up and heading toward the window to tie the curtains back up. While he got one tied up, I went to retie up the other, but stopped dead in my tracks.

The raven was still outside.

"Okay," Riku said, "first test."

I gaped at him. We were starting now?

"I was going to show you a picture as the first test, but we'll use this one for convenience. If you can keep calm while that raven is there you pass the first test."

Gulping, I nodded. Looking out on the lawn, I saw the raven perched on one of the hedges, minding its own business. I stared at it fearfully, feeling myself begin to break out in a cold sweat.

Then I had a thought.

_Just remember that there is a window between you and it._

I managed to calm down, and, after a moment, Riku asked me, "You good?"

I nodded. "I-I think so."

Riku smiled at me. "Good."

As he went to tie up the other curtain himself, another thought occurred to me. "Uh, Riku…" I began.

"Hm?" he hummed once the curtain was back in its original position.

"I…I don't know if this is too personal to ask, but, uh, what was your worst fear?"

Turning around to face me, Riku cast his eyes to the floor, and his lips formed a sad smile.

"Death."

"I-I'm so sorry." Thought I said it I didn't know what I was apologizing for.

Riku reached out and I felt his cold hand on my shoulder. "Not your fault. Besides, it's turned out not to be as bad as I thought it would."

"How?"

He smiled. "Because I'm not alone anymore."

~o~

"Hey, Dem, would you mind taking me to the park?" I asked, standing before my brother with my bag slung over my shoulder, filled with the note (for the energy reading), my sketchbook and drawing utensils (for sketching the culprit), and my wallet (I didn't how much Larxene would charge for this appointment, but it wasn't going to be free by any means. I mean, the purpose of opening up a business is to make a profit, right?). "I wanted to do some sketching." I had nixed the plan to pretend to go shopping since I didn't know what shops were where. From what I had seen online during my map search earlier, the park was located on a plot of land boxed in by 10th, 11th, Shade, and Market Street. I was sure I could find my way from there.

Demyx considered my request for a moment and then nodded. "Sure," he said. "Heard from my kids in class that there's this sweet music store on 9th. Mind if I just drop you off while I head down to the store?"

"No, not at all," I said, and thought, _That would be perfect._

"Okay. You can hop in the van," he said, tossing me the keys, "and I'll be right there after I fetch my wallet."

I headed outside and unlocked the van. I climbed in and buckled up. "You ready for this?" I asked.

"Of course," Riku's disembodied voice responded.

"Say, Riku," I said, a thought suddenly coming to me, "what if she isn't a medium after all? What if she's a fake? How'll either of us be able to tell?"

"Don't worry," Riku said reassuringly. "You might not be able to tell, but I can."

"How does that work?"

"Mediums and other people with abilities are like beacons to ghosts and spirits and other entities. I should be able to tell before we walk in."

I nodded just as Demyx came outside. He climbed into the driver's seat, and I handed him the keys. He started up the van and drove through the forest and into town. Once we got through the Saturday afternoon traffic, Demyx dropped me off at the park.

"Give me a call or text me when you're ready to go," he called out his window with a wave.

"Okay." I waved back before walking along the paved path. I kept walking so Demyx wouldn't see me heading off in another direction.

"He's gone," Riku's voice whispered into my ear.

"Okay, good. Now, from here, 12th must be that way." I headed in direction opposite of which Demyx had driven off in. Once I got to 12th, Riku directed me the rest of the way by whispering in my ear.

"This is the place," Riku whispered once we reached Life, Death & Beyond. It looked just like the shops on either side of it, the only thing giving it away was the sign set above the store front.

There was a bench nearby, and I took a seat on it. I pulled out my cell and pretended like I was answering it. "So, do we have ourselves a fake?" I asked Riku.

"Yeah," he answered, his voice filled with ire. He sighed. "Sorry about getting you to do this all for nothing."

"Don't feel sorry for me," I replied, infuriated by Larxene's passing herself off as medium to unknowing and trusting individuals. "Think of all the people who wanted to speak to their loved ones and how she 'brought them closure' through this lie, all for the sake of making some cash."

I don't really approve of telling people lies to make them happy or spare their feelings; it'll only hurt them more when they find out the truth. I would've simply frowned upon her telling people things just to give them some sense of closure without a fee. But the fact that she was charging for these "sessions" had me seeing red, which is feat that very few have ever accomplished. It was just so wrong to play on people's emotions like that, especially for a quick buck.

"You're right."

I sighed, at a loss. I hung my head. "Not like there's anything we can do about it though."

"Now hang on a sec," Riku said. "Maybe there is something we can do." Even without seeing him, just from his voice, I could tell there was a smirk forming on his face.

Feeling a slight smirk of my own tugging at the corner of my mouth, I asked, "What do you have in mind?"

~o~

Riku and I walked in right at four o'clock. I saw we were in an empty waiting room. The walls were a dark purple with stars dotting it, and the floor was made of gray tiling. On one side of the room was a curtained doorway, which was most likely where Larxene conducted her "sessions." The chairs—there were only ten of them—were made of metal with black pleather cushioning for the seat and upper back. I sat down in one of the chairs, my foot shaking involuntarily from nerves.

_Hopefully I can play my part and the plan goes off without a hitch_, I thought.

"Don't stress," Riku whispered in my ear, and I felt him squeeze my shoulder reassuringly. "You'll do fine."

Just then a woman, who was probably in her forties, pushed the curtain aside and walked out into the waiting room. There were tears of joy streaming down her face and she was calling thank-yous to whoever was beyond the curtain. It took every ounce of my will to keep my heart from showing on my sleeve, to let my emotions show.

As the woman walked out the front door, Larxene came out into the waiting room. She looked at me. "Naminé Strife." When I nodded, she smiled a smile that didn't meet her eyes and stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter. "Come right on back."

I walked past her into another room. This one had a round table topped with candles in the middle of it with two chairs on opposite sides of the table. There were also two sets of credenzas with various knick-knacks that all looked mystical and supernatural and strange. There was a small, brass-looking chandelier hanging from the ceiling. At the back of the room was another curtained off door, which probably led to her office.

I took a seat in the closest chair while Larxene walked around to the other side of the table, grabbing a lighter off the credenza as she passed it. Sitting down, she asked in an amiable tone, "So, who'll we be contacting?"

"I'm not here for you to give me a message from the dead," I said as calmly as I possibly could. "I'm here to give you one."

Her friendly air quickly fell away. "What're you talking about, kid?"

"The dead are angry and want you to stop charging money for these fake sessions that you give to their loved ones."

The chandelier began swinging back and forth.

Standing up and leaning on the table with her hands, she sneered, "Listen, kid. This is my business. I run it how I like it. And I don't give a fuck if some dead has-beens are rolling over in their graves because of it!"

Then one of the knick-knacks flew across the room and hit the wall, breaking into tiny pieces.

Larxene stared at the broken pieces in confusion. "What the—?"

The table flipped over, sending all the candles to the floor.

Larxene glowered at me. "How the hell are you doing this, kid?"

I fixed her with a glared from my seat. "I warned you that the dead were angry, but you refused to listen to me. Now they're taking matters into their own hands."

One of the credenzas began shaking, and all the knick-knacks fell over onto the floor, some breaking.

Larxene shrieked. "Tell them to stop, you brat!" she hissed.

"I can't," I replied as coolly as possible. "It's out of my hands now."

The credenzas' drawers began opening and slamming shut. Some drawers had an object fly out of them.

Both terrified and enraged, Larxene scrambled to a box that lay haphazardly on the floor from where it had fallen off the shook credenza. She opened the box and pulled out something sharp-edged. Metallic. And dangerous.

A knife.

I felt my façade crumbling away to doe eyes and a paling face.

Larxene was seething. "Take those dead fuckers of yours and GET. OUT!" She threw the knife.

I just barely dodged it as it sailed through the air.

_Thunk._ It hit the wall.

I took that as my cue to leave. Riku had said that if she made any sort of attempt on my life to run, so I ran out the door into the waiting room. As I made for the front door I heard Larxene scream bloody murder, a horrifying sound. I bolted out into the street, not caring at all about the looks people were giving me as I sprinted down the block.

~o~

I was sitting on a bench at the park, "talking" on my cell. "So, how do you think it went?" I asked Riku.

The plan had been for me to act like an actual medium. My role had been to remain as calm and collected as I could for as long as possible. Meanwhile, Riku had played the part of the angry spirits and had basically went to town with it.

"I think she had enough sense scared into her to give up the whole charade," Riku replied.

"But what if she doesn't give up?" I asked.

"Then we pay her another visit, I guess."

I nodded in agreement, and then asked out of curiosity, "What did you do back there that made her scream like that?"

"I threw the knife back toward her," he answered, and I swore my eyes bulged out of my head.

"You threw the knife back at her?" I asked in shock. "Riku."

"What? I didn't hit her."

"Did you _try_ to hit her?"

"No…"

"Riku."

"Okay, maybe the tiniest part of me tried."

"Riku!"

"In my defense, she almost hit you and was about to start chasing after you with another one."

"Another one?"

"There were more knives in that box, Naminé. I wasn't about to let her hurt you."

I understood where he was coming from. He didn't want anything happening to his attachment. I sighed. "Okay, I'll let it slide."

We fell into a comfortable silence, and I took in my surroundings. There were birds chirping in the trees. People passing by were jogging, walking their dogs, or leading a bunch of kids over to the little playground area, a little away. It was all so normal compared to the events that had occurred just a bit ago.

Stretching my arm that wasn't holding my cell up, I asked, "So where do we go from here? Do you know any actual mediums in the area?"

"Yep," Riku answered.

"Where can we find them?"

"At school."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't we go to them first?"

"There are a couple of reason for that. One, they obviously aren't a professional. I thought Larxene was the real thing since she was running a business, but I was wrong. Two, being they are only a teenager, I wasn't sure they'd be fully aware of their abilities. And three, who knows if they'll actually help us."

I nodded in understanding. "Any idea who they are?"

"No. Although I know they're there, I've never actually seen them."

"Well, they shouldn't be too hard to find, right?"

"Nope. I should be able to locate them before first period starts."

"Great." A yawn escaped my lips. "It's been a long day. Let's go home," I said, calling Demyx on speed dial.

* * *

><p>So how was that? Some of you are probably wondering why I had Larxene be a fake. Well, I have my reasons for that. Some of you may see where I'm going with this and some of you may not, but all shall come to light in a few chapters.<p>

Anyway, next chapter we have the double date, so I hope you guys are excited for that.

Feel free to leave a review to let me know what you think. Just no flames, please! They will burn down the little hovel that I call my self-esteem and turn it into a pile of ash.

But enough of me talking. Until next time!

-Muffcakeloverxiii


	13. Chapter 13

Hi, guys! I'm back with a new chapter. Honestly, this chapter probably would have been uploaded if it were not for getting my wisdom teeth out and that small bout of writer's block I had for a few days. Personally, this chapter isn't as good as the last, but that's just how I feel.

A thank-you is in order for my readers and reviewers. You guys make me happy. ^-^

Speaking of reviewers, X-blade025, you posed a question in your last review that caught my attention, and I felt the need to elaborate on it a little bit as efficiently as I could in the next three paragraphs. Here is your answer:

Nami doesn't have abilities like a sensitive or medium. Although the abilities of sensitives and mediums can vary, they can still sense and pick up things from their surroundings, where a normal person can't. Nami can't do anything like that, like most of the living. For example, aside from the chill that Nami feels when Riku is beside her, she has no idea where he is unless he whispers-which is how his voice would sound to the naked ear with the minimal amount of energy usage-or manifests-uses the energy around him to make himself visible to her. In order for the two of them to have a conversation, Riku is the one pulling his weight to talk to her by manipulating the surrounding energies. Now, depending on the person's abilities, a sensitive or medium may be able to sense him, his emotions, what happened to him, as well as see him without him manifesting and hear him without him having to use any energy. These abilities make said person far easier to communicate with than a regular living person.

Getting back to the scene with Larxene, Nami had to pretend to be a real medium for a few reasons: 1) As previously stated, she doesn't have abilities; therefore she has to pretend, 2) To make herself seem legit and knock Larxene off kilter because someone else who claims to have abilities is challenging her in her own space, and 3) Entities normally flock to a person with abilities they need help and, in some unfortunate cases, when they want to torment the living. It would be strange for entities to ask a normal teenage girl to deliver a warning to a fake medium, so her acting as a medium made more sense.

Now, if that's the case why did Riku show himself to Nami? Well, he sort of answered that question in chapter 8, but we'll get a little more into that later on in the story.

Anyway, I apologize ahead of time for any mistakes I made while typing up this chapter. I did my best to find and fix them all, but alas I'm only human.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot of this story.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Selphie, I need help!" I cried into my phone. "I don't know what to wear!"<p>

I was going on my not-double-date that afternoon and had no idea what I should wear. I wanted a cute, casual outfit that wouldn't necessarily be considered date worthy, and Selphie was just the person to ask. She was a bit of a fashionista, so I always went to her when I needed help picking out an outfit.

"What's the occasion, and what kind of look are you going for?" Selphie asked, and I explained the whole situation to her. When I finished, she asked, "So he's not into dating any girls at school? Any at all?"

"Not that anyone knows of, no," I replied, sitting down on my bed, still in my bathrobe since I had decided to skip my shower last night in favor taking it this morning.

"Do you think he's gay?" she asked curiously.

The thought, honestly, hadn't occurred to me. "I don't know. But that's not important right now. Think you can help me pick an outfit?"

"Sure. What's the weather going to be for the day?"

Checking the local news's website, I read to her, "Sunny with a slight breeze. The temperature is going to be comfortable enough for me to wear shorts or pants and long-sleeved or short-sleeved tops."

"Alright. You want to send me pictures of your clothes?" she asked. If I were back in Destiny Island she would have been over at my house in about five minutes and been rifling through my closet and drawers for a coordinating outfit that fit the bill for what I wanted. Being so far apart now, it was the only logical way this would work.

"Okay. Call me back when you have something," I said, hung up, and began taking pictures of all my clothes. I went through my closet and all my drawers, snapping pictures with my phone and sending them to her. It took a while, but after about a good hour I was done and waiting for her verdict, all of my clothes laid out and organized by color so I could find them easily.

Selphie called back after a bit, saying, "I have a totally cute outfit for you to wear!"

"Yay!" I chirped, flopping back onto my bed.

"It consists of your regular white cami, that blouse with the white floral lacy torso and solid lavender rolled-up sleeves, and that pair of jean shorts with the lace embroidered on the sides."

I quickly bounded around my room, grabbing the articles of clothing as she named them. I laid them out on my bed. The outfit did look extremely cute.

…Now what to wear on my feet?

"What about shoes?" I asked her.

"I was thinking," She said, "that maybe your silver pair of gladiators would look nice with it."

I went to my closet and pulled out pair of shoes she had specified. They were a silver pair of gladiator sandals with flat soles and zippers at the ankles. Putting them next to the rest of the outfit, I saw that they went with it rather nicely. "Perfect! Thanks, Selph."

"Any time, Nami," Selphie said. "Text me later and let me know how your first date goes."

"It's not a date."

"If that's the truth, then why did you need help picking out an outfit?"

"What, I'm not allowed to look cute on my not-date?"

Selphie laughed. "Okay, whatever you say. Later!"

We hung up, and I got dressed. I was zipping up my gladiators when there was a knock at my door. "Come in!" I called.

Riku came through the door, his hands in his spectral pockets. As he got closer his aqua green eyes landed on me, and I noticed them roaming the length of my body from head to toe, causing my cheeks to flush and making me wrap my arms around my body in self-consciousness as my stomach felt fluttery under his gaze. Blinking and shaking his head, he said, "Hey. Uh, you going somewhere?"

"I'm going on a 'double-date' with Sora, Kairi, and Roxas," I said, putting double-date in air quotes.

"'Double-date'?" Riku questioned as he sat down on my bed, quirking his eyebrow and mimicking my air quotes.

"Olette told me Roxas isn't interested dating anyone, so I'm thinking of this double-date as just hanging out."

Riku nodded in understanding. "Yeah. That guy's been single forever. Whenever I'd ask about it, he'd say the exact same thing. But who knows, maybe you'll be the one to melt that block of ice he calls his heart," he said with a smile, and I saw that the smile reached his eyes, but there was something else in his eyes, too, that I couldn't quite place.

Brushing it off, I giggled. "Maybe…" I said as I brushed my hair, working out a few knots. "I'm not betting on anything sparking though. He's not even my type anyway."

"What do you mean?" he asked, his tone curious.

"Well, Roxas is a jock, and I'm not into jocks."

"Huh." Riku was silent for a moment. "Then what kind of guys are you into?"

I considered it for a moment before I answered, "Either quiet or artistic, I guess. And they have to be decent." I wasn't really specific when it came to looks. I more or less just wanted a sweet, quiet or artistic (or both) guy who could make me happy and feel loved. If they did happen to be hot, well, I'd consider that a bonus.

"Quiet?"

"Yeah. Makes them seem mysterious, I guess." Zexion fit that bill for that one, but my crush on him probably wouldn't become anything more than that.

There was a pause. "And artistic?"

"Yeah."

"In what way?"

"In any way, really." Words, imagery, music. Someone who could create any of those things and make them beautiful in their own way I'd consider an artist. I didn't know of any around here, though, aside from my brother and Axel.

_Nuh-uh_, I thought. _You're forgetting—_

I glanced at Riku's reflection in my mirror. I shook my head, ridding myself of the idea before I could think on it further.

Riku hummed. Then he asked, "Say, uh, do you mind having a spare tire on your not-date?"

"A spare tire?"

"Yeah. You know that whole third-wheel thing?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, there are four of you guys going on this not-date, so you'd be, I don't know, a jeep, and if I don't break the attachment I'd be the spare tire hanging off the back."

"Oh, okay. I get it," I responded, nodding. "Don't worry about it. I don't mind you tagging along."

"Okay. So when are they coming?"

_Honk-honk!_

Going to my window and looking down at the driveway, I saw a white SUV parked there. Turning to Riku, I said, "Now."

I grabbed my bag and wallet before heading across the hall to Demyx's door. "Demyx, I'm leaving," I called.

Demyx opened the door, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"Just out with some friends from school," I answered as I started heading downstairs.

"Are any of these friends boys?"

I sighed. "Yes."

"Okay. Make sure to tell them I want you back here by ten," he called after me.

"I will."

I headed outside, and, as I approached the SUV, the shotgun window rolled down to reveal Kairi. "Hey, Nami!"

"Hey!" I climbed into the backseat and saw Roxas sitting there, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else but in that SUV. I gave him a small wave and an apologetic smile, receiving awkward nod hello. Poor guy.

I buckled up as Sora began pulling out of the driveway, and I felt a cold presence signifying Riku was sitting in between Roxas and me. I wasn't really bothered by it, but Roxas seemed to be.

"Hey, Sora," he said to his brother, "could you turn off the A/C?"

"Dude, the A/C isn't even on," Sora responded.

"S-so, um, where are we going?" I asked in an attempt to steer everyone's minds away from the coldness that was Riku, our invisible spare tire.

"I was thinking," Kairi replied, "that we could catch a movie, go to dinner, and, if it's not too late, we can go get some sea-salt ice cream. How's that sound?"

"Sounds good to me," Sora said. "What do you guys think?"

"O-okay," I replied, nodding, and Roxas just turned to look out the window.

In a matter of minutes we reached the movie theater. It was fairly modern-looking. Nothing like the old-school, single-screen theater we had back in Destiny Island.

As we pulled into the parking lot, Kairi asked, "Sora, could you drop us off at the front door so we can buy the tickets while you boys find a parking spot?"

"Sure," Sora said, pulling up to the curb to let us out.

As we headed inside, I asked Kairi jokingly, "W-what you guys do to Roxas, drag him out of the house by his ankles against his will or something?"

Getting in the ticket line, Kairi giggled. "Almost. Took some convincing but he finally agreed to come along."

"How?" I was curious as to how she managed to convince Roxas to come along after what Olette had told me.

"I told him that he barely knew you, to give it a chance, and that you seemed like a sweet person."

We reached the ticket counter. Pulling out her wallet, Kairi paid for four tickets—mine I tried to pay for, but Kairi wouldn't take my money—to a horror movie of all things. It was some new film called "Shadows Whisper in the Dark." I had seen some previews for it on TV, and it looked so creepy.

_Well_, I thought, _I guess I know what I'm getting to snack on during the movie._

The guys walked in as we got out of line. "So," Sora began, "what movie are we seeing?" When Kairi showed them the tickets, I saw Sora go a little pale. Roxas still looked as miserable as he had in the SUV.

We headed to the concession stand and waited our turns to get snacks. I ordered an extra-large popcorn and a small drink. When I saw the looks the others were giving me, I asked, "What?"

"Can you really eat all that?" Kairi asked, giving me a flabbergasted look as she stood there with a medium popcorn and a large soda (obviously for her and Sora to share). Roxas himself had gotten a large popcorn and a drink. I was skinny, so it figured that seeing me with that much popcorn all for myself was a bit unexpected.

"This is what I always get when I go to see a horror movie," I answered, avoiding her question because I never finish all my popcorn. I had a reason for ordering this when I go to horror movies though. Horror movies always gave me nightmares, and the extra-large popcorn buckets are large enough for one to hide their face in. So, during the previews, I'd eat halfway through the popcorn, leaving enough room for me to hide my face during the scary parts while keeping it clean of artificial butter. This method has saved me from having nightmares over the years, and, although popcorn prices are crazy, I felt it was worth the couple extra dollars so I could get a good night's sleep.

Kairi just shrugged it off, and we headed to the screen where the movie was showing. We took our seats in this order: Kairi, Sora, me, and Roxas. I quickly began eating my popcorn while I waited for "Shadows Whisper in the Dark" to start playing. Roxas looked so bored, and Kairi and Sora were cuddling—Sora was still looking kind of pale under the dim auditorium lights.

The lights dimmed, and the movie started. It started out with a family finding their "dream house" for a rather low price. Everything seemed really normal for the first couple minutes of the movie. Everything was all sunshine and rainbows.

And then things started getting weird. From that point on in the movie, I kept my popcorn bucket close to my chest. Every time the music got creepy, I'd hide my face and then look up when things seemed to calm down. And then something would fall over or slam shut or spring up onto the screen, and I'd make like an ostrich and bury my face.

During a suspenseful part of the movie, I dared a glance at Roxas, Sora, and Kairi. I saw Roxas had his eyes were closed and his head hanging down, his chin tucked into his chest—he was asleep. The seat beside Roxas was folded down as if there was a person sitting in it. To a normal person, the seat would just appear to be broken, but I figured Riku was probably siting there. Glancing to my other companions, Kairi seemed quite content, watching the screen and clinging to Sora's arm. Sora was less pleased, as he seemed to be watching the movie through a triangle he had made out of his hands.

_Poor guy_, I thought. I looked down at my popcorn and then back up at him. _I think he needs this more than I do._

I nudged Sora as gently as I could with the popcorn bucket, trying not to spook him. That didn't work because he jumped. Giving him an apologetic smile, I whispered in his ear about him wanting to use the popcorn bucket. He shook his head, being a typical guy. But then a shadow person appeared on the screen, and Sora practically squeaked (whatever squeaking for a guy is). I then shoved the popcorn bucket back in Sora's face, and he happily took it and made like an ostrich.

~o~

"That was so creepy!" I heard Kairi say, signifying that the movie was over.

I had sat through the rest of the movie with my eyes shut, and, opening them, I saw the rest of audience making for the exit. Roxas was already headed that way, and the rest of us followed.

As I felt Riku's cold presence at my side, there was a tap on my shoulder from someone of a normal body temperature. I turned to see Sora. "Nice method," he commented, holding up the extra-large popcorn bucket before tossing it in the trash as we exited the theater. "I'll have to keep that in mind for next time."

I found myself giggling. "N-no problem."

Walking out into fresh air, I saw the sun was setting, elongating our shadows against the asphalt as we headed to wherever the boys had parked. The clouds had taken on a pink hue and looked like giant pieces of floating cotton candy.

As we hopped in the SUV, Kairi asked, "So, who's hungry? I don't know about you guys, but I am."

There was a resounding yes from Sora, Roxas, and I. Sora drove us to a different eatery from the one we had gone to Friday night. From the outside it looked like one of those restaurants that was decked out to look like it had come right out of the 1950s. Trailing behind the others as we headed inside, I saw that my suspicion had been right. The floors and walls were composed of black and white tiling. Seating throughout the restaurant was upholstered red, and the table tops were a bright teal. At the far end of the dining area was a jukebox, playing a song by Frank Sinatra. The restaurant seemed pretty hopping, but it wasn't too long before we were seated in a booth.

Once the orders were placed for our meals, I somehow became the center of attention (how the heck did that happen?). Questions just kept coming one after another: what life had been like back in Destiny Island, what I like to do in my spare time, how school was, how the town seemed, which teacher seemed to be the worst, and what it was like living with my great-uncle. And none of these questions were coming from Roxas, either. They were coming from Sora and Kairi, but mostly Sora.

When our food arrived, Sora asked, "So, is it true what they say about the mansion?"

"Yeah. Is it?" Kairi joined in.

"What do they say about it?" I questioned. I hadn't heard any rumors about the mansion before this.

"Is it haunted?" Sora clarified as he took a bite of his burger.

I blinked. They thought the mansion was haunted? I hadn't experienced any sort of activity in that place since I got here, and as far as I knew the only thing, well, person in the mansion that could even be considered haunted was me. I wasn't a medium, though, so I wouldn't really have known if there were any other intelligent entities roaming the halls.

I shook my head. "No," I answered, picking up my own sandwich. "It doesn't seem like it at least. Why?"

Sora shrugged. "As kids, we always used to joke around and say the place was haunted, but no one had ever gotten past the gate."

"You," said Roxas, jumping into the conversation, "however, live there. So you'd know better than anyone if the place was haunted."

"Sounds like it's not though," Kairi said with a hint of disappointment. Then she continued on thoughtfully, "But you have only been here for a week. If anything is there, it might just be lying in wait."

"Or friendly," I added. "Ghosts and spirits don't all have to be bad."

"True. The bad ones are usually the ones you hear about."

"Well, the bad ones always spoil the bunch, right?"

~o~

"See you guys tomorrow," I called as I got out of the SUV and shut the door. We had just gotten finished with eating our sea-salt ice cream and they drove me home.

I headed inside the mansion and went up to my room to get ready for bed. As I headed to my room to grab my pajamas before I hopped in the shower, I felt Riku's coldness leave my side—his way of giving me some privacy.

Once I was finished getting ready for bed, I went back to room and flopped onto my bed. I lay there like that for a few minutes before lifting my head, my eyes landing on the framed photograph of my family on the bedside table. Sitting up, I picked it up.

I had been looking at the reminder of our family's past happiness for a bit when there was a knock at my door. "Come in," I called.

The door opened, and Demyx poked his head in. "Hey, Nami. Just wa—why're you crying?" Demyx rushed over and sat down beside me on the bed. "Did something happen with your friends?"

I blinked at him and wiped the back of my hand against my cheek. It came away wet with what had been a tear trail. I hadn't even realized I had been crying.

Sniffling, I replied, "No, nothing happened."

"Then what…" He saw the picture in my hand. "Oh." He pulled me into a hug, and I leaned on his shoulder.

"I miss them." I felt a cold hand on my shoulder, its thumb tracing circles on my arm. Riku. My cheeks flushed a bit in embarrassment. He had seen me crying. I felt so embarrassed.

"I do too. But I don't think they'd want to see this upset. Now, lemme see a smile." Demyx gave me a goofy grin, and I giggled. "There we go." He kissed the top of my head and ruffled my hair. "Now get some sleep; we got school in the morning." With that, he got up and left, shutting the door behind him.

The second he was out, Riku manifested, and he was sitting on the side opposite where Demyx had sat. "How long have you been sitting there?" I whispered to him.

"A bit," Riku replied.

Setting the picture back down on the bedside table, I sighed, burying my face in my hands, my elbows resting on my knees. "You weren't supposed to see that."

His hand left my shoulder and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders comfortingly. "There is nothing wrong with missing them. Just shows that you love them."

I nodded. "I know." I sniffled. "I'm sorry, I just hate it when people see me cry."

"Why?"

"Sign of weakness, I guess."

"Better to let it all out than to keep it bottled up inside."

I nodded. If I had kept all my emotions inside while I had been grieving, what would my mental state have been like?

"So what happened, if you don't mind me asking?" Riku asked.

I was hesitant to reply, but I figured I'd tell him eventually. "…Car accident."

"I'm so sorry."

I nodded, leaning against him a bit. I was comfortable but also surprised. I didn't pass right through him like I had expected to. However, I saw the light from my lamp visibly dim, so he must've been using more energy to make his body solid. We stayed like for a moment, him with his arm around my shoulder and me leaning against him. It felt…nice. Safe.

Unwrapping his arm from my shoulders, Riku got up and said, "You should get some sleep."

I nodded. As he was about to leave I said, "Tomorrow, be sure to let me know who the medium is as soon as possible, okay?"

Riku chuckled. "Like I said, I'll find them before first period." Then he vanished.

Turning off the light and crawling into bed, I wondered how things would go with the medium, if they'd be willing to help. If they wouldn't answer to Riku, then I supposed I could always ask for their help.

_Social matters_, I thought. _Joy._

* * *

><p>So, what did you guys think? I know some of you are probably wondering what the point of this chapter was because it seems like a pointless filler. Well, I'm going to be cryptic and say that everything that happens in this story I have set in place for a reason.<p>

So, who is the medium? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out!

Feel free to leave a review and let me know what you guys think. Just no flames, please.

Until next time!

-Muffcakeloverxiii


	14. Chapter 14

Hi, readers!

Well, I'm back with another chapter. It's a little short, but I hope that's okay. I probably would've had it up sooner but I had massive writer's block for almost a week. I just you guys like it.

I'd like to thank my readers, favoriters, followers, and reviewers for this story. You guys make me happy. ^w^

I apologize ahead of time for any errors I made and didn't notice while I was editing.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Can you sense them?" I whispered to Riku. It was the following morning and we were at school. Demyx and I had just parted ways in the hall, me heading toward the stairwell.<p>

Riku sighed and replied, "No, not yet. I'm going to be keeping an eye out for them. I'll come find you once I've gotten a good look at them." Then he left, his cold presence gone.

Homeroom seemed to pass by much more slowly than normal, and I found myself wondering if Riku had found the medium yet, whoever they were. My leg twitched with nervous energy as I watched the clock. I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I almost missed hearing Ven call my name as he took roll.

When the bell rang, I headed to Axel's class and got myself situated to get back to work on the Cubism assignment. As I began working I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. I guessed Riku must've found them.

Confirming my guess, Riku said, "Found him."

_So the medium is a guy_, I thought. _That narrows it down quite a bit._

"Who is he?" I whispered.

Someone then walked into the room, and I glanced up to see Zexion looking stoic as ever. I waved at him and saw him tense up he looked in my general direction. It was a subtle movement, just noticeable in his shoulders.

I blinked in confusion. I had only waved hello to him. If my memory served me correctly, he had never tensed up like that before. Was it something I said or did on Friday? But he had seemed perfectly fine around me at the pep rally so…what was it?

"Hey," came Riku's low voice, "I don't think now is the best time. I'll tell you later."

He was gone before I could protest (not like I could have in public), leaving me in suspense over who the medium was. I tried not to let my disappointment show on my face, though, as Zexion approached.

"Hey," Zexion said as he took his seat next to me.

"H-hey," I greeted back. Looking at him, I could see that he was still a little tense but much less than he had been when he had walked in.

I tried to concentrate on my work but found that I couldn't. My train of thought kept going elsewhere, whether it was about who the medium was or why Zexion had seemed so uneasy.

A couple of times while I was working I dared to look at Zexion through my bangs, and every time I saw he was staring at me. It put me off a little bit, and not just because he was staring. His eye, which usually didn't give much away, had a hint of emotion in it. It kind of looked like he was…worried? But about what? And what did what he was worrying about have to do with me?

I couldn't push the thoughts out of my head so by the end of class I really hadn't gotten all that much work done. The thoughts kept plaguing me through physics and math. As I grabbed my lunch and headed to home ec, I hoped that Olette was in her usual bright, talkative mood.

My prayers were answered when I walked into the room and she asked, "So, how did everything go yesterday?" She was very eager to hear about my not-date, which reminded me that I needed to call Selphie later and tell her about it. "Tell me everything."

"There's nothing to tell, really," I admitted.

"'Nothing to tell'?"

I nodded. "Nothing happened between us. At the movies he fell asleep and he didn't really talk all that much. Honestly, I talked more with Sora than I did with him."

Olette shook her head and sighed. "That boy. I don't know what we're going to do with him." Then she smiled. "But I guess that's good news for Zexion."

"Yeah. If he's even into me." Which I doubted. And yet that look he had been giving me had me wondering. I mean, people who stare at other people blankly are usually not staring at all and are just daydreaming. Those who stare with emotions in their eyes are staring at said person and their thoughts of the person tend to deal with that emotion.

I thought, _What did I do that's got him worried?_

I must've been making a face because Olette was giving me a questioning look. Figuring it wouldn't hurt, I told her about Zexion's look. "Any idea why he would be worried over something having to do with me?" I asked her.

Olette hummed and her face took on a thoughtful look. After a few seconds she suggested, "Maybe he's worried about how to go about asking you out?"

If my life were an anime, I would've probably had a big, blue sweat drop running down my temple. I thought, _Yeah. She definitely reads too many teen romance novels._ There was no way that was it.

Dubiously, I asked, "What makes you say that?"

"Well," she replied, "you know how you're a white rabbit?"

"Yeah. What's my 'type' got to do with it?" I asked, putting air quotes around the word type.

"It's got everything to do with it."

"How?"

"Well, he's probably afraid that if he makes an attempt to ask you out he'll scare you away, like a rabbit."

"But why would he be so worried about that?"

"Because, as I've already told you, he's been nothing but a lone wolf since he got here until you came along. His social skills obviously aren't the best and he knows that; therefore, he's worried about his lack of social skills making his attempt to ask you out weird or awkward and then scaring you off.

"But I don't think he really needs to worry about that," she said with a teasing smile, nudging me with her elbow.

Blushing, I thought about what she had just said. Personally, I wasn't really sure what to think. Part of my brain wanted to believe her. But another part of it was warring with that part, telling me that it was silly.

Then I thought about how she described our animal types. _A lone wolf and a white rabbit…. Well, we would certainly make for an interesting couple. Not that I'd mind._

~o~

I was sitting in the middle of drama class. Zexion was still giving me that worried look every time he glanced at me. He had given me that look during lunch and Grammar & Lit III, too. The only break I had gotten from it was during phys. ed—most of my time in that class being spent palling around with Sora—and history. It was more than a little distracting and in no way made me feel less self-conscious.

To distract myself, I glanced at the clock. It was then that I realized I only had this class left and then I'd be able to meet up with Riku to talk about the medium. My nerves began buzzing with excitement at the thought, my foot doing its involuntary twitch.

"All right, class," came Luxord's voice, cutting through my thoughts, "I have an announcement. For your final grade you will have to write and put on a play for the class."

We all stared at him in disbelief. What?! Was he crazy?

"I know what you're thinking," he continued, "but here's the thing. There are no one-man shows. You will be working with the same group that you were in during your improv exercises and you will use the basis of your group's exercise for the production. When not performing your own production you will be working as stage crew for the other groups." He handed us all guidelines for the production. "It'll be due at the end of the year so you have plenty of time to work on it, but don't put it off 'til the last minute."

_Oh, geez_, I thought. _This is insane. His expectations are set a little too high. I guess this is what he uses to keep students from slacking off._

As Luxord went back into his lesson, I went back to watching the clock. If I could I'd mentally move its hands because they weren't ticking fast enough for my liking. I becoming extremely impatient. I wanted to learn who the medium was so badly it was ridiculous.

Finally, after much waiting the bell did ring. Sweet freedom! I gathered up my things and headed toward the exit with Zexion, as Kairi had decided to hang back and talk to Luxord about Sora reprising his role as the knight for the final.

As I gave Zexion a wave goodbye and was about to head down to the band room to meet up with Riku, Zexion said, "Naminé, wait."

I stopped mid-stride and looked at him over my shoulder. "Hm?"

His expression was stoic as stared back at me. I felt nervous and my stomach filled with fluttering butterflies. What did he want?

Then, suddenly, he ceased my wrist. "We need to talk."

I was being dragged down the hall, almost tripping over my own two feet as I tried to keep up with Zexion. I was so confused. Questions raced around in my head. What was he doing? Where was he taking me? What was this about?

Zexion pulled me into an alcove under the stairwell. And it was a tight space. The two of us only managed to fit because we stood only a few inches apart, if that. We were so close that as I breathed I picked up a scent that was without a doubt his. He smelled of old books and…some sort of herb.

I looked up at Zexion and my blue eyes met his. Being so close, I could feel my cheeks heat up and stomach flutter some more as he stared back down at me. Let's just say at that moment I was glad it was dim in the alcove because my face probably looked like a tomato.

"W-what's going on?" I managed to squeak out.

Zexion let go of my wrist. He took a deep breath and said, "Just promise me you won't freak out over what I'm about to say."

"Uh, o-okay…?"

He took another deep breath. "Your parents wanted me to tell you that they love you and they miss you and your brother very much and they want you to stop getting upset every time you think about them. They want their little girl to be happy."

For a moment I stood there, shocked. My parents had said that to him? But they were dead. And from his voice sounded, it seemed that Zexion knew that too. But how?

Then the realization slammed into me like an oncoming train.

_It's him_, I thought, and I swear at that point I was gaping at him. _He's the medium._

_Or is he?_ argued a voice in my head.

_How would he have even known they were dead unless he was a medium and had talked to them? I've never mentioned anything about my parents to anyone but Riku_, I reminded the voice.

_Well, genius, you moved with your brother because of his job. Any teenager who was still living with their parents would not have moved here with him…unless they've got abusive parents and ran away to live with their sibling, but you don't look like you've ever had a hand laid on you._

_But why would Zexion lie about something like my parents telling him those things?_

_Maybe he's like Larxene. He could be preying on your emotions for his own personal gain._

_What would be in it for him though? My gratitude?_

_You'd feel indebted to him. Maybe he wants a favor._

_A favor for what?_

_I guess that'd be up to him._

As these thoughts raced through my head, my eyes searched the visible half of his face for any sign that he was lying. His hair blocked off the view of the one side of his face, so I couldn't gather anything from that. As I looked into his left eye, though, I could tell that he was genuine about what he was saying.

My parents had really told him those things…. How I felt…I really can't put it into words.

I was brought out of my thoughts as I felt Zexion's thumbs stroke my cheeks, making me notice the few stray tears that had escaped. Sniffling, I wiped away the rest of the twin trails my tears had left behind.

"S-so," I asked, "you're a medium?"

He nodded. "Now," Zexion said, placing his hands on my shoulders, "there was also something else that they wanted me to tell you."

"What?" I inquired eagerly.

Zexion bowed his head for a second and took a deep breath. He seemed much tenser. Bringing his head back up, he looked me in the eye and said, "They want all of your involvement with that ghost that you've allowed to attach himself to you to stop."

I stared at him wide-eyed. No. Not now. Not when I just found the one person who might be able to help us! Desperately, I asked, "Why?"

Zexion answered, "Because according to your parents you've had a knife thrown at you."

"I wasn't hurt."

"But what if the worst-case scenario happened?" Zexion sighed, his shoulders slouching as he released his grip on mine. "Listen Naminé, please, just…stop all of this whatever it is you're doing with this ghost. For your parents."

Glancing in the direction of the hallway, I thought about it. Although I didn't want to stop helping Riku I didn't want my parents to worry about my safety either. However, since I found Zexion I guessed I wasn't going to be needed much longer; I was just the sketch artist after all. Riku would have a medium to assist him and that was what mattered.

_If he's willing to help_, I reminded myself.

I nodded. "Okay," I said. "I'll stop my involvement with Riku." I saw the tension in Zexion's shoulders melt away. I had to make my voice sound strong for what I was about to say or he might not take me seriously. "On one condition."

The tension back once more. "What?"

"There's a bit of a situation," I explained as calmly as possible, "that he needs your help with."

He was silent for a moment, staring down at me. The longer he stared the more worried I became. What if he didn't agree to it? Would there be someone else who'd be able to help us?

Finally he sigh. "Fine. I'll do it."

* * *

><p>So Zexion's the medium. Yay! Plot development!<p>

What did you guys think of this chapter? Leave a review to let me know your thoughts. Just no flames please.

Until next time!

-Muffcakeloverxiii


	15. Chapter 15

Hello, readers! I'm back with another chapter, which I will admit was a bit difficult to write but definitely worth it.

I'd like to thank all my readers, followers, favoriters, and reviewers. You guys just make me happy. And for that you get pie.

π = 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971... Endless pi!

Anyway, I apologize ahead of time for any errors I made and failed to correct.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>We reached the band room just as Demyx was leading the band outside for practice. "There you are, Nami," he said. Seeing Zexion, his eyes narrowed. Looking back at me with a you-better-not-have-done-anything-with-that-boy face, he asked suspiciously, "What took you so long?"<p>

Thinking quickly, I replied, "Zexion and I were in the auditorium with Kairi and Luxord talking about a complication with an assignment Luxord gave us."

"I see…." He wasn't convinced.

"Would you mind if Zexion stayed so we can get started on that assignment?" I asked. Since I had already brought up the assignment I was just going to keep rolling with it. Besides, it wasn't like he could deny me spending time with Zexion since it appeared to be for a grade. My grades came before anything else. At least I hoped they did.

With a defeated sigh, Demyx said, "Okay." Then he pointed at us sternly. "But no funny business, you two." For some reason those words felt more like they were directed at Zexion than me.

As he headed out, the band followed. Olette saw Zexion and me as she walked past and gave me a teasing grin. Blushing, I looked away, and I heard Olette's laugh over the other's voices; it was easy to pick out. I hoped Zexion hadn't seen that whole exchange we just had. I wasn't sure, though, because, glancing at him, he gave no indication of it.

Once the last of the band had followed Demyx outside, Zexion and I went into the band room. Looking up at Zexion, I saw he was staring at something. I followed his gaze to the piano bench, which had an indentation in the seat's pleather upholstery, as though someone was sitting there.

In the blink of an eye, Riku manifested, sitting on the bench. He smiled at me. And it was a brilliant smile. "I see you found him on your own. Nice job, Naminé."

I blushed. "N-no problem," I stammered.

"So," Zexion began as he took a seat, and I followed his example, "what exactly is this 'situation' that you need my help with?" Riku explained all the details of his murder to Zexion—including the bit about the note I'd gotten from his locker—and what we needed him for. When Riku had finished, Zexion folded his hands and rested his chin atop his knuckles thoughtfully, his elbows set on his knees. "I see." Then he turned to me. "Well, I'll keep up my end of the deal as long as you follow through with yours."

I nodded. As much as I didn't want to do it, it had to be done. Riku needed his help more than mine after all.

Riku turned to me, confusion on his face. "Deal?" he asked. "What deal?"

I sighed. "Zexion agreed to help," I explained, keeping my head down, "only if I had you break the attachment and stopped my involvement in the case." I didn't pick up my head back up as I finished; I didn't want him to see how distraught I was.

It was silent for a moment, and I could hear the band playing outside. Then I heard Riku walking, as I saw Zexion's feet were still. His footsteps drew nearer and nearer until they stopped. Looking around through my bangs, I saw Riku standing in front of Zexion, his arms crossed, his eyes glaring coldly.

The feeling in the room changed at that moment; it became tense. The tension in the air was thick, almost smothering. And it made me _very_ uncomfortable. I just wanted to get up out of my seat and leave them to whatever was going happen but couldn't. I was rooted to my chair.

Riku answered, "Yeah, no, thanks."

I snapped my head back up, shocked. What?! Why was he turning down Zexion's help? He needed it if he was going to figure out who his murderer was. "R-riku…"

Zexion stood up and returned the cold look, looking Riku in the eye. "And just what's so disagreeable about those terms?"

"I still need her." Riku wasn't backing down.

And neither was Zexion. "What for?"

"She," Riku replied, taking a step toward me and putting his hand on my shoulder, my face flushing from the contact, "is going to sketch the murderer from what you gather from the residual energy on the note."

Zexion folded his arms. "The murderer is most likely a member of the student body. I should be able to identify them on my own."

"You've been walking around with your nose in a book ever since you got here. And the only person that I know you've gone out of your way to even interact with is Naminé. As far as I'm concerned, you won't be able to identify them. But with a sketch based on your description I'll be able to."

Zexion let out a defeated sigh. "Fine. She can stay involved for the sketch. But I still need you to break the attachment."

"Yeah, no."

"And why not?" Usually Zexion was so calm, but right then he seemed agitated.

"Because then I'd have to switch my attachment over to you, and I don't think either of us wants that."

"Finally, something we agree on." Zexion paused for a second, thinking. "But that still requires Naminé being involved." He turned to me and shook his head. "I'm not sure how well this'll fly with them."

"'Them'?" Riku questioned. Turning to me, he continued, "Who's he talking about?"

"My parents," I answered. "They talked to Zexion and said they don't want me working on the case anymore."

"Why?"

"They saw what happened on Saturday."

"With Larxene?"

"Yeah. They've got nothing against you. They're just worried, that's all."

Riku's attitude completely changed then. It seemed to shift from aggressive and disagreeable to understanding and a bit more compliant. He nodded.

Turning to Zexion, I asked, "Do you think there's any way that they'll let me stay with this case after the sketch is done?" They both looked at me with surprise—Riku's more visible than Zexion's, but it was still there. I continued on, pleading with him, "I really want to help. Even if it's not much."

Zexion was silent for a moment. "I don't know. I'll have to talk it over with them."

"Z-zexion," I began.

"Hm?"

"A-are they here right now?"

Zexion nodded. "Yeah, why?"

A small smile slipped onto my face as I stared at the floor. "I just wanted to tell them I love them too."

A coldness surrounded me then. It was them. I knew it wasn't Riku; his coldness felt different from this. With it came what I could only describe as a wave of their parental love washing over me. Although most kids just want to get out in the world and get away from their loving parents, they don't realize just how much they'll miss them when they're not around; I learned that lesson far sooner than I should've.

They remained with me as Zexion seemed to zone out, staring at me. I assumed he was talking to them somehow, negotiating the terms so I could help. After several minutes of silence Zexion finally said, "Okay, I renegotiated the terms with them and they agreed."

"So, what're the terms?" Riku asked.

"They'll allow for your attachment to remain and for her to continue on with the case as long as you don't try to conduct the investigation without me present."

"I don't see why we would," I said.

"It's just a precaution they put in place."

"A precaution for what?" Riku asked.

"For her protection."

"Like I can't protect her?" Riku's tone was indignant.

"Well, the last time it was just the two of you a knife was thrown at her, remember?" Zexion reminded him, causing Riku's spectral form to stiffen. He'd hit home with that one. "Your recklessness was to blame for that little incident.

"Now, those are the terms. Are we all agreed?"

Riku and I looked at each other. He looked sore; it was easy to tell that Zexion had torn open an old wound and that he didn't want to agree to it because of that. But I implored him to agree to the terms my eyes. The message seemed to get through because he nodded with a sigh.

Riku turned to Zexion. "All right."

I felt the coldness surrounding me suddenly leave, and I was disappointed if not distracted. So much so that I barely noticed as Zexion changed the subject.

"This," he said, turning to Riku, "is from her father." He gave Riku the I-got-my-eyes-on-you,-punk gesture.

"Hey!" Riku looked about the room in all directions. Pointing at Zexion, he said into the air, "What about him?"

"He already gave me that look yesterday."

"Wait," I said, confused. "Why couldn't my dad have just shown that to Riku himself?"

"Because Riku can't see him," Zexion answered.

Huh? "But my parents can see Riku. Why can't he see them?"

"It's because they have passed on to the Other Side and Riku hasn't."

"So it's another restriction?" Riku guessed.

Zexion turned to him and seemed a little surprised. It faded quickly though. "Since you already know about residual energies, I shouldn't be surprised that you know of the restrictions."

"This is one I haven't heard of, though."

"Well, those who've gone on to the Other Side, when they do this thing called bi-location, can come through to our side while still being on the Other Side. And they are aware of both the living, other spirits, and earthbounds."

"Earthbounds?" I questioned. This was a new term.

"It's really just another name for a ghost. Anyway, earthbounds, however, are aware of the living and other earthbounds, but not spirits."

"How?"

"It's just one of the many rules and regulations of being earthbound. Your parents, however, have been all too aware of him since he revealed himself to you.

"Now, where is this note that you mentioned?"

~o~

Zexion sighed and looked at the note with a hint of frustration. "I'm not getting a name, face, or gender." He handed the note back to me. "Just a lot of hurt and resentment."

"Well, you tried." Though I tried to seem optimistic I'm sure I looked deflated. With our only current lead not providing any information whatsoever, we were back at square one again.

Then I had a thought. Figuring it was worth voicing, I turned to Riku and asked, "Can you think of anyone who would've felt those emotions toward you?"

"Every girl who ever confessed to me…and maybe a few members of the blitzball team."

I hadn't been expecting that last part. "Really?"

"My choice to quit the team and focus on music wasn't exactly well received. Although a lot of them let it drop after how well the team did last year, some of them were still a little bitter about it."

I nodded. I wasn't sure how many suspects that gave us, but I guessed a lot. I mean, he'd already confirmed that he'd had admirers in the past, as I'd suspected, and my guess was there were a lot of them. As for his former teammates, I wasn't sure. Until we had a gender, we had to be open to both possibilities.

Which meant that Sora, Roxas, and Hayner—three sweet boys who I considered friends, who were also blitzball players—were suspects at this point. No matter how unlikely it seemed to me since they seemed to think so highly of Riku. Anyone would've been able to tell that from how they'd reacted to Sora seeing him at the blitzball game.

I turned to Riku to see if he was thinking the same thing I was, when his eyes light up with an idea. "Hey, do you think the roof would be a good place to check for residual energy?" Riku asked Zexion.

"I was actually just about to suggest that," Zexion replied. "Considering the fact that your death is playing on a constant loop, I can only assume that not only is your residual energy there but the perp's, too."

"A constant loop?" I asked.

Zexion nodded. "Residuals vary. Some retain emotions, and others retain both emotions and the events—something I like to call playbacks. The playbacks for residual energies vary as well. Some only play once a year at a certain time. Some at a certain time every day. And some are like this one. It just keeps playing over and over again. Like an iPod stuck on repeat."

I stared at him in awe. It all sounded so fascinating. I wondered what it would be like to see the world through his eyes, seeing things most people couldn't. His world stretched so much farther than mine did, so much farther than most people's. What kind of place was it?

"So we going to go check out the roof?" Riku asked, breaking me out of my trance.

I looked at the clock. "I don't think we have enough time." The band would be coming back in soon and I didn't want Demyx freaking out if I was still gone when they got back. Who knew what thoughts would run through his head, especially since Zexion would be missing as well.

Riku nodded. Turning to Zexion, he said, "Mind if I ask you something." Zexion nodded. "Why does this room contain so much more energy than the rest of school?"

"My guess is the band leaves behind a lot of strong residual energy, for whatever reason. And every year it just keeps growing."

"That explains why manipulating the energy in here is so much easier."

"I gotta say I'm surprised," Zexion said suddenly.

"By what?" Riku questioned, voicing my own thoughts.

"How easily you can manipulate energy. Most earthbounds after three months can barely move objects, let alone manifest."

Riku gave a casual shrug. "I wanted to play the piano but found that I couldn't at first. There was nothing to do. So I learned how to manipulate energy on my own so I could play it." He made it sound like no big deal, but I knew better. After seeing him over the past couple of days, I knew just how passionate he was about his music. That piano being there and him not being able to play it had probably been torture until he'd figured out how to use energy to play.

Hearing voices outside, I looked out the window. The band was heading back in. I looked back at where Riku had been standing, but he had already vanished. I pulled out a notebook and pencil to make it look like we had been working. I started jotting a few things down when Demyx walked in.

"How's that assignment going?" he asked us as the band kids filed in after him.

"Okay," Zexion and I answered together. Demyx gave us a skeptical look but let it go as he went to his office.

Zexion gathered up his things, saying, "I'll see you tomorrow." He was about to get up and walk away when he suddenly turned to me, mumbling something to himself.

As I turned to look at Zexion in confusion, he cupped my face in his hands and gave me a kiss on the forehead. I blinked in confusion, my brain registering what he just did. Then I blushed, taking an interest in the floor. I knew kisses on the forehead didn't count, but it was the closest I'd ever come to having my first kiss, and I couldn't help it.

Zexion leaned close to my ear and whispered, "That was from your mother."

And if I hadn't been too stunned by those five words to react I probably would've broke down in a fit of tears.

~o~

"And I thought you said he was just 'a friend,'" Demyx said as we got in the car. He just had to bring this up again, didn't he?

"And he is," I replied. What was the big deal? Two of my childhood friends were guys, and Demyx had never had a problem with them hanging around. I didn't see what made Zexion so different. Okay, he didn't know Zexion like he knew Tidus and Wakka, but Zexion hadn't done anything that warranted Demyx's overprotectiveness.

"Maybe it's just me but last I checked, friends don't kiss other friends."

"It was a kiss on the forehead. It's not like he stuck his tongue down my throat or anything." And it wasn't like that kiss was actually from him, either; it was from Mom, but I couldn't tell Demyx that without him thinking I'd lost some of my sanity.

"But still, take this relationship slow. Like _super_ slow. None of that Romeo and Juliet nonsense."

I looked at him in mock-terror. "Are you insinuating that I'm going to die?"

"No. But it's your first relationship—"

"We're not together!"

"Sure you're not." Oh sarcasm, how I hated you at times like this.

What made it worse was that Riku was probably laughing at my expense from the backseat.

Or maybe not. I felt something eating at my heart, and I knew the feeling wasn't mine. It had to be Riku's. I figured he was thinking about his murderer. This feeling, however, didn't feel like vengeance. It felt more like…jealousy?

Shaking my head, I thought, _It's probably just in my head._

~o~

After calling Selphie and talking for a while, I got to my homework. I was laying on my stomach, working on my math homework, when Riku asked if he could borrow my laptop. Not questioning him and figuring he was looking up more information, I logged on and went back to my homework. I was racking my brain, trying to figure out how to solve an equation when I heard this:

_Caw!_

I shrieked and dove under my bed for cover, my homework forgotten on my comforter. I thought, _How did a raven get in my room? My windows aren't even open!_

Riku poked his head under the bed. He looked at me sheepishly as he said, "Sorry, Naminé. Didn't mean to scare you; I was just looking for a convincing raven caw for your fear training."

"I-I think it's convincing enough," I said, embarrassed heat rising up in my cheeks. I crawled out from under my bed and sat down on my bed. "But can you help me with my homework first before we get started with that? Because Demyx is hopeless when it comes to math, and I need help."

"Sure."

~o~

After dinner I went back to my room. I was anxious about this next part of my fear training. Riku had stayed back in my room, saying he was going to look through a couple more videos for raven caws. I was wondering what additional sound bites he'd gathered in his searching.

Riku was seated on my stool at my desk, my laptop open. As I took a seat on my bed, Riku explained, "Since we've already had you just look at a raven through glass, I figured the next step before actually taking the glass out of the equation would be to desensitize you to the sound of its caw, since it's obviously associated with the raven itself. You ready to give it a go?"

I gulped, thinking, _Well, I'll have to face this awful music eventually. Might as well get it over with now, before I convince myself to back out._ I nodded.

And it began.

At the sound of that first caw, I was sent back to that day. I was back in the courtyard, rigid as the two black masses of slick feathers came at me. I felt all the color leave my face, like someone was erasing it. My heart pounded in my throat, my ears. My mouth was dry, and I couldn't swallow. I had to resist my body's urge to cover my ears and curl up in a ball.

In the distance, there was another sound, a faint one. I couldn't make out what it was at first. The more I concentrated on it, the easier it was to make out. It was a voice. I still couldn't quite make out what it was saying, though.

"…né."

"—miné."

"Naminé."

I snapped out of my trance. I was back in my room, sitting on my bed. Riku was still sitting at my desk, looking at me with concern. He asked, "Naminé, you all raight?"

"Y-yeah," I replied. The room was silent now, but I was still on edge.

Riku powered down my laptop before he turned back to me. Scratching the back of his head, he suggested, "How 'bout we call it a night? We'll give it another go tomorrow?"

I just nodded. Once he vanished and left the room, I flopped back on my bed, covering my face with my hands.

_You are pathetic_, I berated myself. _Pull yourself together. _There was a pause from the voice in my head. _You know, Olette's right about your type. How are you supposed to help this boy if you can't even help yourself by not acting like a scared rabbit and facing your fear?_

_Nice pep talk, self_, I thought. _Thanks._

* * *

><p>Yeah, so the guys fought with words and not their fists. Well, you can't have a physical fight if one of the fighters doesn't have a body, right? And for anyone who would suggest psychic attacks, if any of you who do know what those are, only negative entities can perform them.<p>

So, what did you guys think of this chapter? Feel free to leave a review or pm me to let me know your thoughts. No flames, please.

Until next time!

-Muffcakeloverxiii


	16. Chapter 16

Hi, readers!

Here is a new chapter! This might be the last update I make for a while because college has recently started up and I'm not sure how often time will permit me to work on it when I'm not busy studying, doing homework, or writing papers. I will not drop this story, though, so no need to worry about that.

I would like to thank all of my readers, followers, favoriters, and reviewers for this fanfic. I know I constantly say that you guys are awesome and everything, but I want you to know that I mean it because you it truly makes it worth continuing this story.

I apologize ahead of time for any errors that I failed to correct while proofreading this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story.

Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

><p>The next morning, after homeroom I headed straight to Axel's class and got to work on my assignment. Between my suspense over the medium's identity and Zexion's strange behavior, I had been so distracted yesterday I had gotten behind on my work. I needed to catch up, and hopefully I'd be able to before the end of class.<p>

Riku was beside me as I worked, the chill of his presence causing goose bumps to form on my skin—not in a bad way, though. I didn't mind him staying with me but figured he probably wanted to go play the piano. I remembered, though, that Demyx had band class at that time, so Riku really couldn't have played without there being witnesses.

Just as the bell rang, Zexion took his place beside me at our table and got to work on his own painting. We worked in silence for a couple of minutes, glancing at each other periodically as reference for our paintings. Flicking my eyes to his painting, I could see that he was behind as well. I supposed with how he'd been acting yesterday it shouldn't have been a surprise; he had been just as distracted as I was. Whether it was over what my parents had told him had happened at Larxene's shop or just seeing Riku with me for whatever reason, I had no clue.

"Do we want to check out the roof after school?" Zexion suddenly whispered in my ear, causing me to jump. I hadn't noticed him lean toward me.

"Sounds like a plan to me," I heard Riku say from between us. "Naminé?"

Keeping my voice low, I said, "The weather report called for clear skies this afternoon. There should be plenty of time for us to work and be back in the band room before Demyx even knows I was gone."

"Yeah," Zexion said, "I don't wanna get more on your brother's bad side than I already am." I turned to him, and he continued, "It doesn't take abilities to see that he doesn't trust me."

I sighed. Zexion was a good guy, and I really wished that Demyx would give him the benefit of the doubt. At the same time, however, I could also see where Demyx was coming from—as annoying as it was. He didn't want me getting hurt.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "He's just—"

"Trying to be a good brother. I know. And, honestly, I respect that; it shows that he cares."

I nodded and got back to work, letting what he had said sink in. I didn't know what I had expected, but it just wasn't that. I mean, I would've thought a guy would have been annoyed with or intimidated by a girl's overprotective brother.

_Then again_, I thought, _Zexion isn't interested in me._

_But then why are you the only one he seems to talk to?_ said a voice in my head, reminding me of what Olette had said last week.

It was true; since I'd met him I was the only person he conversed with aside from Riku, and that was as of yesterday. Even at lunch and in drama class I'd only ever seen him talk to me. If he were coming out of his shell and becoming more social like I had originally thought, he would've talked to everyone else I'd been hanging with, too. But he wasn't; it was just me.

Glancing at him, I thought, _Why me? What makes me so special?_ I didn't think he was interested. He didn't seem to be at least. But then why? _There must be something that I'm missing here. What though?_

I shoved the thought to the back of my mind. It was something to ponder another time. I had work to get done.

~o~

In drama class Zexion and I took our seats as we waited for class to get started. Luxord was nowhere to be seen—probably in his office backstage. Our classmates were talking to each other in mix of murmuring conversations.

After a moment Kairi came and sat down beside me. "Hey! I got great news, guys," she said, getting our attention. "Luxord agreed to let Sora reprise his role as the knight for our final."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." That issue had had Kairi and I worried yesterday when Luxord had made the announcement about the final. We'd been concerned about what to do since Sora wasn't in class with us. Looked like Kairi had managed to negotiate with Luxord.

Curious, I asked, "How'd you get him to agree?"

"Wasn't that hard," she said nonchalantly. "He just said that we wouldn't be eligible for any extra credit points since we'd be getting outside help."

Class started, Luxord beginning a new lesson. I tried to pay attention but was having a difficult time of it. Just like yesterday, I found my eyes drawn to the clock like moths to lights on a dark night. My foot was doing its twitchy thing again, too. We'd be going to the roof after class, and hopefully we'd be able to get the murderer's face and identity. There was something enthralling about the prospect—in a macabre sort of way. To say I was anxious would be an understatement.

Zexion must've been able to sense it, because I felt his hand gently brush my arm, probably in a way to calm me. It had to have been his—Riku's touch would've been much colder than that.

Glancing at Zexion, he seemed to be paying attention to Luxord, staring ahead at the stage. It was hard to tell, though; his long curtain of fringe blocked his face from view.

Zexion turned and met my eyes, as if sensing my gaze. Although his expression didn't tell me anything, his eye did. It was sending me a message: _Just a little longer._

~o~

Once class was over, Zexion, Riku, and I made a beeline for the band room, exiting out the auditorium's side door. It was just a short walk down the hall, so we beat most of the band kids there. We sat down and made it look like we were working on an assignment. That didn't mean we didn't attract anyone's attention, though.

Demyx, as he took roll, was definitely giving us side glances. He didn't seem too happy to see Zexion again. He didn't say anything about his being there, though.

As Demyx led the band outside, I saw Olette giving me an aw!-you-guys-are-so-cute-together look again for, like, the fiftieth time that day. That look was something normally reserved for Kairi and Sora. Usually she'd give us an aw!-you-guys-would-make-such-a-cute-couple look. She had probably seen Zexion kiss my forehead yesterday. It was the only explanation I could think of.

_Geez! Those two couldn't be more opposite on that topic if they tried_, I thought. _My brother wants me to stay away from him. And my friend wants us to be together._

As soon as I saw the last of the band kids heading out the door from my vantage point at the window, I began spelunking through my bag for my sketchbook and pouch of drawing utensils. I had to make sure I had everything before we left.

Riku, who had manifested, asked, "You ready?" I nodded.

"Let's go then," Zexion said.

The three of us headed up the stairs to the top floor landing. When we got there, Zexion headed for a door that looked so inconspicuous I could see why I'd never noticed it before. That was it. The door to the roof.

As Zexion stood in front of it, I saw him pull something out of his blazer pocket. Something shiny that made a metallic jangling sound.

A set of master keys all hanging from a large key ring.

"Where did you get those?" I asked, suspicious.

"Stole them off the janitor's desk this morning," he answered as if stealing the janitor's keys was something he did on a regular basis.

I crossed my arms. "Zexion."

"He won't miss them. It's not like he really uses them. And we need them to get to the roof. I'll have them back to him by tomorrow."

I sighed. "Well, all right."

Zexion went through key after key, trying to unlock the door. After about the twenty-fifth key the door handle finally budged, unlocking. He opened the door to reveal a metal ladder bolted to the wall behind it, leading up to a metal hatch. Zexion climbed up the rungs first, opened the hatch, and set foot on the roof.

Placing my feet on the bottom rung, I handed my things up to Zexion. I climbed up the ladder, my anticipation growing with each rung I passed. Zexion took my hand when I reached the top rung and pulled me onto the rooftop.

As Zexion handed my things back to me, my eyes took in the rooftop. It wasn't really much; it looked just like any other boring school roof. The only thing that really stood out was the chain-link fencing that surrounded the whole thing. The one that had been installed because of Riku's "suicide."

I turned my attention back to Zexion. He was standing in the middle of the rooftop, his back to me, arms crossed. There was a gentle breeze on the air that slightly ruffled his hair.

I approached him and asked, "Anything?" I got a nod in return. Pulling out my pencil, I asked, "What do you see?"

"Riku," he said with a pause, "and someone else."

"What's happening?"

Zexion pointed to one edge of the roof as he walked toward it. "Riku is standing at the edge of the roof, his back to his attacker." He then pointed back to another part of the roof approximately where I was standing. "The other person is staring at him. Their hands are covered by black leather gloves and clenched rather tightly. Anger, hurt, and rejection are rolling off this person in waves."

I felt shivers go down my spine. I was standing where a murderer had stood, where they had made their final decision to take a young life, snuffing it out before it had really had the chance to live. The thought made me sick to my stomach.

"Then they're running." He indicated the invisible energy's movement with his finger. "Running…running…

"And then—" He made a shoving motion, and my stomach dropped.

Zexion puts his face against the metal links, looking out over edge of the roof. "Riku's falling and then…" Zexion flinched like he heard some sickening crack. "I hate that part."

My heart was pounding in my ears, and my heart had leapt up into my throat. I hadn't been able to see any of it, but something in Zexion's voice had made it sound like was actually happening at that very moment. It was definitely one of the more chilling things I'd experienced.

Abruptly, Zexion, his face scrunched in confusion, said, "They're not finished yet, though."

"They're not?" I asked.

"No, they're taking a folded up piece of paper out of their pocket…and putting it down on the roof…and weighing it down with a rock."

"A piece of paper?" That was strange. Why would the murderer leave a note behind?

Then I had thought. "Could it have been a forged suicide note?" It seemed like a logical explanation. It would explain why the police had come to the conclusion of suicide as the cause of death for someone who had seemed completely happy with his life.

I'd heard of people like that. They seem like they are perfectly happy, when really they just have all their true feelings bottled up inside. There were cases where all those pent up emotions just drove them to that point.

"It's likely."

"Do you think you could get a reading on who the murderer might be from it?"

"Possibly. The only problem is getting it. It's probably locked away in an evidence locker at the police station."

"Good point…" I sighed. "Well, there goes that idea."

"I wouldn't say that." When I gave him a confused look, he continued, "His parents may be able to help."

"His parents?"

"Parent," Riku corrected. "It's just my dad."

"Right." Zexion nodded. "If I can convince him that Riku's death wasn't suicide and was the work of someone else, he may ask the police to get the note out of the evidence locker for me."

"Are you sure it'll work?"

"Most parents in his situation would jump at the possibility of their child's suicide actually being homicide. It shouldn't be that hard."

I heard Riku say in my ear, "My dad's a total skeptic, but it's worth a shot." I agreed with him; it was really the only option we had. Now hopefully Zexion would be able to convince him.

I had my pencil at the ready. "So, Zexion, can you, uh, describe the murderer for me?"

"I can't give you a facial description, unfortunately," he admitted, shaking his head.

"Why not?"

"…Their face is nothing but blackness."

I blinked, shocked. How was that possible?

Zexion continued, "There is a cause for that, though."

"What?"

"The black hoodie they're wearing completely shadows it."

I nodded. "All right. Well, how about we go with a bodily description then? Aside from their facial features being shadowed and a black hoodie, what else do you see?"

"I'd say they're about your height and skinny. Female."

"How can you tell that?"

"Well, they're wearing a skirt. So unless they're a cross dresser, I think it's safe to say they're a girl."

I wanted to slap myself for asking such an idiotic question. "Right."

I took all the information he fed me and my hand went to work, gliding over the page. The end result was a faceless, hooded figure with a slim frame in a skirt.

Turning the sketch to him, I asked, "Is this what you saw?"

Zexion's gaze was fixed on my sketch for all of a second when he answered, "Yes."

I flipped the sketch back to me. So the culprit was female and around my height. Whether she was still skinny or not could not be determined. But we at least had something.

_Sora, Roxas, and Hayner are no longer suspects_, I thought. _That's good._

The word "rejection" stood out in my mind, a bright neon sign. That was how this next thought came to mind: _It must've been a girl he rejected in the past._

~o~

We were on our way back to the band room when I thought of something. The school had video cameras everywhere. Wouldn't the murderer have been caught on film?

I told Zexion my thought, but he only shook his head. "Naminé, compared to the rest of the building, have you noticed anything different about the stairwell?"

There was something different about the stairwell? I thought about the stairwell, visualizing it. But I couldn't think of a difference. Stumped, I replied, "I can't think of anything."

"The difference," Zexion said, "is that it has no cameras."

And no cameras meant no footage.

We got back to the band room well before the band came back. Tomorrow we decided we would pay Principal Crescent a visit. Zexion would do everything that he could to try and convince him that the suicide was actually a homicide. Telling him that he was communicating with us as a ghost might be a little hard for him to swallow however. If all else failed Riku—depending on how much energy there was for him to manipulate—would do what he could to prove to him that he was there and we weren't crazy.

Zexion left a bit after that, saying that he had to help out at his uncle's book shop. That left just Riku and me. Him playing the piano and me watching as his fingers played.

As he finished a song, I clapped. "Wow! That was great. I couldn't play the piano to save my life."

Turning to me, he asked, "You want me to teach you?"

"Can you?" I asked.

"Yeah."

He got up from the piano bench and gestured for me to take a seat. Once I was seated, he began teaching me the basics. I learned that my fingers were numbered and the keys were letters A through G like many instruments, the piano in the band room starting at A and ending at C. He also taught me how to position my fingers and wrists—curved with the thumb laid flat and horizontal, respectively. The quickness of striking the keys controls the volume—fast for loud, intense note and slow for soft tones.

It wasn't difficult at all, but it wasn't a cake walk either. At the very least, it was much different from sketching. I wasn't used to my fingers themselves doing much aside from holding my pencil; drawing is more in the wrist. I managed to catch on, though.

"Okay," Riku finally said after I played a C major scale, "now let me teach you 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.'" He showed me how to play the notes to the very simple song a few times. "Now you try."

It was rather easy to play. Not too many complications. But then again, it's probably one of the simplest songs to play. He probably wouldn't have taught it to me otherwise.

"Good." He turned to the window, and I heard the sound of voices outside. "Well, that's enough for now. Maybe I'll teach you more later."

~o~

Riku and I were attempting fear training again, and I was failing miserably. Once again.

I buried my face in my hands. "I-I'm sorry," I stuttered, and lifted my face back up. "I'm probably wasting your time."

Riku frowned. "Naminé, my time's already come to pass. There's none left for me to waste."

As I stared at him I realized he was right. As he had said before, he had all the time in the world. Still, it was such a heartbreaking thought.

Then he smiled. "Besides," he continued, "you're helping me. It's the least I can do. But for now, let's try again tomorrow."

Then he was gone.

Flopping back on my bed, I thought, _He's just saying that._ My train of thought began taking the same track it had after yesterday's fear training session. How was I actually being of any help when I hadn't played my part yet by drawing the culprit? Honestly, if it weren't for the whole attachment we had I wouldn't be needed at all. My part was so minuscule in the grand scheme of things.

_Geez, you're so depressing_, I thought to myself. _That's no way to think. So what if your role isn't that big? Big deal. They still need your help. _He _still needs your help. And if you're going to help him_—I turned my head toward my open laptop—_you might as well help yourself, too._

Pulling my laptop onto my lap, I pulled up a video-to-mp3-converter app on my laptop and downloaded the sound bite onto my laptop, and then onto my iPod. I scrolled through the titles until I found it. I stared at title on the screen for a moment.

_I just hope I don't regret this later_, I thought as I stuck my ear buds in my ears and pressed play.

* * *

><p>So, how was it? Feel free to leave me a review to let me know what you think.<p>

Until next time!

-Muffcakeloverxiii


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